Books about Entertaining from Amazon.com

With The New Best Recipe, we invite you into America's Test Kitchen where you will stand by our side as we try to develop the best macaroni and cheese, the best meatloaf, the best roast chicken, the best brownie, and nearly 1,000 more best recipes for all your favorite home-cooked foods.

Behind this book is a deeply felt understanding of how frustrating it can be to spend time planning, shopping and cooking only to turn out dishes that are mediocre at best. With The New Best Recipe in hand, you will have access to a wealth of practical information that will not only make you a better cook but a more confident one as well. In fact, as long as you follow our instructions, we guarantee that these recipes will work the first and every time.

We have also included 800 illustrations showing you the best way to do almost everything from how to carve a turkey and beat egg whites properly to how to frost a layer cake and set up your grill. Also, get valuable information on how and when to splurge on that expensive knife or baking pan and when the basic model will do just fine. We also explain the science of cooking since understanding the science of food can help anyone become a better cook. Complete with recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts, The New Best Recipe.
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Get ready for amazing recipes that will entice anyone to clear off the kitchen table and have a few people over. Bobby and Jamie Deen's newest one-of-a-kind cookbook is bursting with flavorful recipes for good eats around the dinner table with family, a pre-game cookout, or a potluck rich with food for half the neighborhood..
Price: $14.65 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Lauren Bacall gets cranky when Barefoot Contessa, an East Hampton specialty food store/institution for more than 20 years, is sold out of Indonesian Ginger Chicken She can now thank her lucky stars that exuberant owner Ina Garten has written The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and included this recipe. Ms. Bacall is sure to be pleased to discover how easy it is to achieve such fantastic flavor. Simplicity is something of a bottom line at Barefoot Contessa. "Food is not about impressing people," Ina Garten says. "It's about making them feel comfortable."

Aimed at the cook who intends to entertain, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook draws on Garten's experience as a caterer, as well as her knowledge of what customers really want to eat when they arrive at her shop. She has culled her favorite recipes and has included timesaving tips, always striving for ease and simplicity. Neither cooking nor entertaining should be a chore, according to Ina Garten, and her lovely cookbook is a case in point.

This is an intensely illustrated cookbook that shows the foods to best advantage (and makes it a lovely gift book). Presentation counts for a great deal, and Garten's food styling adds to any food platter. But just as relevant are photos that bring in the spirit of fresh, locally grown produce. There's the local poultry producer proudly holding a laying hen in case anyone should wonder where the eggs come from.

Starting with appetizers, Ina Garten isn't afraid to include such basics as hummus and guacamole: she knows from experience that her versions make a profound impact. There are French Onion Soup and Corn Cheddar Chowder, Baked Virginia Ham and Salmon with Fennel, Roasted Carrots and Caramelized Butternut Squash--and then one killer dessert after another. Included, too, are some breakfast specialties. Any upscale bed and breakfast could have this book in the kitchen and get rid of all others.

This isn't a cookbook about getting outrageous with food. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is about warming the hearts and souls of your guests with familiar food raised to a gourmet level. --Schuyler Ingle.
Price: $18.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey?. Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface—a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character—and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you.

In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.

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Ina Garten, who shared her gift for casual entertaining in the bestselling Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Barefoot Contessa Parties!, is back with her most enticing recipes yet—a collection of her favorite dishes for everyday cooking. In Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Ina explains that sharing our lives and tables with those we love is too essential to be saved just for special occasions—and it’s easy to do if you know how to cook irresistible meals with a minimum of fuss.

For Ina, the best way to make guests feel at home is to serve them food that’s as unpretentious as it is delicious. So in her new book, she’s collected the recipes that please her friends and family most—dishes like East Hampton Clam Chowder, Parmesan Roasted Asparagus, and Linguine with Shrimp Scampi. It’s the kind of fresh, accessible food that’s meant to be passed around the table in big bowls or platters and enjoyed with warm conversation and laughter.

In Ina’s hands tried-and-true dishes are even more delicious than you remember them: Her arugula salad is bright with the flavors of lemon and Parmesan, the Oven-Fried Chicken is crispy without excess fat, and her Deep-Dish Apple Pie has the perfect balance of fruit and spice. Barefoot Contessa Family Style also includes enticing recipes that are memorable and distinctive, like Lobster Cobb Salad, Tequila Lime Chicken, and Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash.

With vivid photographs of Ina cooking and serving food in her beautiful Hamptons home, as well as menu suggestions, practical wisdom on what to do when disaster strikes in the kitchen, and tips on creating an inviting ambience with music, Barefoot Contessa Family Style is the must-have guide to the joy of everyday entertaining..
Price: $19.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Who wouldn't love to put fantastic foods on the table--extraordinary pleasures for everyday eating; simply delicious treats that can be prepared in record time; comfort food that brings family and friends together; luxurious meals that cost barely more than fast food; divine dishes perfect for guests or just for quiet nights at home? Now you can have all that and more, any time you choose, with this first-ever collection of 175 of the best recipes from O, The Oprah Magazine.

Featuring more than 60 great chefs and food writers, alongside mouth-watering photographs, this cookbook presents an exquisite array of dishes from cocktails to appetizers, main dishes to desserts, soups to sandwiches, and everything in between.

O, The Oprah Magazine Cookbook offers something for everyone--and for all types of occasions, whether you're preparing a feast or looking for a simple dish to satisfy a craving.

• APPETIZERS range from an easy to make Crostini with Wild Mushrooms and Mozzarella to Crushed Potato with Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Chives; from elegant Grilled Sea Scallops with Tomato-Black Olive Vinaigrette to delectable Fried Green Tomato Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing.
  
  
• INSPIRATION comes from all across the country and around the globe, and you can now enjoy at home dishes such as a tantalizingly bright bowl of Callaloo soup, Moroccan Cinnamon-Rubbed Leg of Lamb, the best Tiramisu ever, an addictive Cuban Grilled Corn on the Cob with Queso Blanco and Lime, and a crazy-delicious New Orleans Creole Gumbo.
  
  
• DESSERTS include decadent Black Currant-Tea Chocolate Truffles, amazingly simple Chocolate Pots de Crème, Heavenly Fresh Mint Ice Cream, and silky smooth Banana Pudding. For drinks? Here is a Pomegranate Daiquiri and a Strawberry Mint Iced Tea, both perfect for a summer party, and a frothy Mexican hot chocolate, the ideal thing for a cold winter night.
  
  
• ALONG WITH THE RECIPES, professional chefs and celebrated gourmands provide informative, entertaining, and vibrant lessons and advice about food and cooking--and life. Maya Angelou talks about food as a way to soothe discord, but even more important, as a joyful part of life; Gayle King describes how a true food lover can take equal pleasure from fine dining in a fancy restaurant and a casual burger joint; Marcus Samuelsson explains how travel can expand your palate; Nina Simonds brings home vital lessons from Asia about family dining; Art Smith gives inimitable advice on how to make eating outdoors easy, delicious, and fun. Other wonderful contributions come from Govind Armstrong, Leah Chase, Colin Cowie, Rozanne Gold, Michel Nischan, Susan Spungen, and Rori Trovato.
  
  
• ALSO INCLUDED are advice on brilliant pairings of wine with food and a special index that leads you right to holiday foods, snacks, vegetarian recipes, party favorites, and kid-friendly dishes.

Sixteen million readers a month turn to the recipe pages in O, The Oprah Magazine to see the featured chefs and their fabulous food as well as the gorgeous photography. Their recipes embody the spirit of O, The Oprah Magazine and will inspire you to create irresistible meals for your family and friends, both every day and on special occasions. More than a collection of recipes, this book is a guide to enjoying food, elevating every dining experience, and appreciating the special role that cooking and eating can, together, play in our lives.

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Price: $17.28 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The charismatic and multi-talented Amy Sedaris is many things: actress, author, and yes, David Sedariss sister. Now, she takes on the world of entertaining in this blisteringly funny collection of bizarre tips, recipes and craft ideas (like mini pantyhose plant-hangers!) perfect for hosting an unforgettable fete. Your guests will rave..
Price: $14.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]