Books for Thanksgiving

Earth Keeper
Reflections on the American Land

N. Scott Momaday

Momaday recalls stories of his childhood that have been passed down through generations, stories that reveal a profound and sacred connection to the American landscape and a reverence for the natural world. In this moving work, he offers an homage and a warning. Momaday reminds us that the Earth is a sacred place of wonder and beauty; a source of strength and healing that must be protected before it’s too late. As he so eloquently yet simply reminds us, we must all be keepers of the Earth.

Thanksgiving
The Biography of an American Holiday

James W. Baker

In this in-depth study of the most American of holidays, James Baker sweeps away lingering myths and misconceptions to show how this celebration day was born and grew to be an essential part of our national spirit. Thanksgiving’s evolving face is illustrated with charming and often revealing images that chart our changing attitudes: the influence of Victorian sentiment, Progressive utilitarianism, intellectual “debunking,” patriotic wartime reclamation, and 1960s-era protest. Thanksgiving remains controversial up to the present day, as Mayflower descendants, Native Americans, and commercial exploiters compete for the American public’s opinion.

This Land is Their Land
The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving

David J. Silverman

When Plymouth’s survival was hanging in the balance, the Wampanoag sachem (or chief), Ousamequin, and Plymouth’s governor, John Carver, declared their people’s friendship for each other. Ousamequin and 90 of his men visited Plymouth for the “First Thanksgiving.” The treaty remained operative until 1675, when 50 years of uneasy peace between the two parties would come to an end. 400 years after that famous meal, historian David J. Silverman sheds profound new light on the events that led to the creation, and bloody dissolution, of this alliance.

We Gather Together
A Nation Divided, a President in Turmoil, and a Historic Campaign to Embrace Gratitude and Grace

Denise Kiernan

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Castle and The Girls of Atomic City comes the fascinating story of America’s national day of thanks and of the tenacious and inspiring Sarah Josepha Hale, a nineteenth-century woman who made establishing this holiday her life’s mission-one brought to fruition by the wise support of Abraham Lincoln

All-Time Best Appetizers

America’s Test Kitchen

Hosting a party is overwhelming enough; let the experts at Cook’s Illustrated reduce some of the strain with this selection of the 75 best appetizer recipes ever to come out of the test kitchen. Chapters mix cocktail party classics and modern finger foods and satisfy a variety of menus, abilities, and styles. Invite Cook’s Illustrated to your next soiree to guarantee the all-time best party for you and your guests.

Martha Stewart’s Appetizers
200 Recipes for Dips, Spreads, Snacks, Small Plates, and Other Delicious Hors D’Oeuvres, Plus 30 Cocktails

Today’s style of entertaining calls for fuss-free party foods that are easy to make and just as delicious as ever. With more than 200 recipes for tasty pre-dinner bites, substantial small plates, special-occasion finger foods, and quick snacks to enjoy with drinks, Martha Stewart’s Appetizers is the new go-to guide for any type of get-together.

Mix-Tape Pot-Luck
A Dinner Party for Friends, Their Recipes, and the Songs They Inspire

Questlove

Questlove is best known for his achievements in the music world, but his interest in food runs a close second. He has hosted a series of renowned Food Salons and conversations with some of America’s most prominent chefs. In Mixtape Potluck Cookbook, Questlove imagines the ultimate potluck dinner party, inviting more than fifty chefs, entertainers, and musicians—such as Eric Ripert, Natalie Portman, and Q-Tip—and asking them to bring along their favorite recipes. He also pairs each cook with a song that he feels best captures their unique creative energy.

That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life
Creative Gatherings and Self Care With the Cheese by Numbers Method

Marissa Mullen

Marissa Mullen takes cheese to a whole new level with her gorgeous, show-stopping cheese plates. With her simple step-by-step Cheese by Numbers method, she breaks down the cheese plate into its basic components—cheese, meat, produce, crunch, dips, garnish—and shows you how to recreate these beautiful spreads for any occasion, whether it’s a dinner party, a book club gathering, wine nights with friends, or your classy Netflix binge.

Antoni in the Kitchen

Antoni Porowski

Some of the recipes in this book are weeknight healthyish meals, while others are perfect for off-the-cuff entertaining. Visual stunners, they’re often composed of fewer than five ingredients. Whether Bastardized Easy Ramen; Malaysian Chili Shrimp; Roasted Carrots with Carrot-Top Pesto; or Salty Lemon Squares, all are visual stunners and can be carried off with panache, even by beginners.

Chasing Flavor
Techniques and Recipes to Cook Fearlessly

Dan Kluger, Nick Fauchald

Dan Kluger, a chef celebrated for his simple yet flavorful food, knows there’s more to mastering cooking than just following directions. So with each of the innovative, elegant recipes in his debut cookbook, he includes a valuable lesson that applies beyond the tasty dish. For example, master the art of mixing raw and cooked versions of the same ingredient while preparing a Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Manchego Vinaigrette.

The Chicken Bible
Say Goodbye to Boring Chicken With 500 Recipes for Easy Dinners, Braises, Wings, Stir-Fries, and So Much More

America’s Test Kitchen

You can call chicken a lot of things. Blank canvas, weeknight go-to, lean protein, we’ve heard it all. But boring? That’s where we draw the line. Sure, it might have started to feel a bit redundant. But that’s not the chicken’s fault. Cozy up to succulent roast chickens with sauces made from pan drippings, sink your teeth into the crispiest, crunchiest fried chicken you’ve ever had, try your hand at sous vide for unbelievably moist chicken, or fire up the grill for anything from kebabs to beer can chicken.

Come on Over
111 Fantastic Recipes for the Family That Cooks, Eats, and Laughs Together

Jeff Mauro

Growing up in a big Italian-American family in Chicago, Mauro’s favorite phase to hear was his mom saying: Come on over! For him, there’s no better way to create shared memories than over a good meal, and here he shows you how to make the best food possible for a gathering of your favorite people—no matter how many there are, no matter what the occasion.

Cook This Book
Techniques That Teach & Recipes to Repeat

Molly Baz

A new kind of foundational cookbook, this thoroughly modern guide to becoming a smarter, faster, more creative cook serves up clear and uncomplicated recipes that make cooking fun and will inspire a new generation to find joy in the kitchen.

Cook, Eat, Repeat
Ingredients, Recipes and Stories

Nigella Lawson

For Lawson, food is a constant pleasure. Here she reveals the rhythms and rituals of her kitchen through dishes that make the most of her favorite ingredients, with inspiration for family dinner, vegan feasts and solo suppers. The recipes are accompanied with narrative essays about food, tips on presentation and leftovers, and much more.

Lidia’s a Pot, a Pan, and a Bowl
Simple Recipes for Perfect Meals

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Tanya Bastianich Manuali

With classics and new dishes alike, the beloved chef and best-selling author shares more than 100 easy-to-make recipes for flavorful, no-fuss Italian food that use just one (or two) pot or pan.

Make It Ahead
A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ina Garten

If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in front of the stove at your own party, scrambling to get everything to the table at just the right moment, Ina is here to let you in on her secrets! Thanks to twenty years of running a specialty food store and fifteen years writing cookbooks, she has learned exactly which dishes you can prep, assemble, or cook ahead of time. Whether you’re hosting a party or simply making dinner on a hectic weeknight, Ina gives you lots of amazing recipes that taste just as good—or even better!—when they’re made in advance.

Modern Comfort Food
A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ina Garten

Cooking comfort food—particularly fresh, modern comfort food—ensures that everyone at your table will feel happy and satisfied. Garten knows that serving delicious food will feed not only your cravings but also your soul—especially in these stressful times. Her book provides simple, foolproof, dependable recipes that will help you nourish yourself and the people you love.

One Pot Feeds All
100 New One-Dish Recipes From Roasts to Deserts

Darina Allen

Cooking using only one pot, pan or roasting pan is satisfyingly efficient and relatively inexpensive. Pop in your ingredients and let the oven do the work. No complicated techniques and little space or washing up required. What’s not to like?

The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Super Easy! 120 Shortcut Recipes for Dinners, Desserts, and More

Ree Drummond

Drummond shares tips and recipes that will free you up and transform your cooking life as well! Her recipes range from effortless breakfasts to breezy skillet meals to speedy soups to ready-in-minutes Tex-Mex delights, so you’ll have lots of options for any given meal. Many recipes in this cookbook call for step-saving (and sanity-saving) shortcuts that will revolutionize the time you spend making meals for your family, and all of them are utterly scrumptious!

The Quick Fix Kitchen
Easy Recipes & Time-Saving Tips for a Healthier, Stress-Free Life

Tia Mowry

The beloved actress and star of the digital original series Quick Fix shows how to embrace home cooking with easy, delicious, and healthy recipes for the entire family, saving time and energy and bringing balance to your kitchen.

See You on Sunday!
A Cookbook for Family and Friends

Sam Sifton

From the New York Times food editor and former restaurant critic Sam Sifton comes a cookbook to help us rediscover the art of Sunday supper and the joy of gathering with friends and family. It is a guide to preparing meals for groups larger than the average American family (though everything here can be scaled down, or up). The 200 recipes are mostly simple and inexpensive, and they derive from decades spent cooking for family and groups ranging from six to sixty.

Thanksgiving
How to Cook It Well

Sam Sifton

A former New York Times restaurant critic and Thanksgiving Help Line contact presents an accessible and authoritative guide to cooking and surviving a stylish Thanksgiving dinner, drawing on his extensive experiences to counsel home cooks on everything from different ways to prepare a turkey and selecting accompanying wines to managing difficult relatives and timing side dishes.

An Unapologetic Cookbook

Joshua Weissman

How can you know if something is your favorite if 50 to 80 percent of the stuff you’ve been eating was made by someone else? Butter, condiments, cheese, pickles, patties, and buns. For a superior and potentially even life-changing experience, you can make these from scratch. Create the building blocks necessary to make the greatest meal of your life. Joshua Weissman will instruct you with his irreverent humor, a little bit of light razzing, and over 100 perfectly delectable recipes.

Fresh From Poland
New Vegetarian Cooking From the Old Country

Michał Korkosz

In Fresh from Poland, Saveur award winner Michał Korkosz celebrates recipes from his mother and grandmother&;with modern, personal touches and gorgeous photos that capture his passion for cooking. Vegetables are his stars, but Michał doesn’t shy away from butter, flour, and sugar; the ingredients that make food—and life—more rozkoszny (delightful)! The result? Over eighty comforting dishes for every occasion.

No-Bake Vegan Desserts
Incredibly Easy, Plant -Based Cakes, Cookies, Brownies and More

Christina Leopold

In this incredible collection of delectable plant-based sweets, Christina Leopold walks you through her easy-to-follow no-bake method for preparing all of your favorite vegan treats. Make everything from three-tier cakes and glazed donuts to filled cupcakes and fudgy brownies all without greasing a pan, preparing a cooling rack or pre-heating your oven!

The Vegan Meat Cookbook
100 Impossibly Delicious, Alternative-Meat Recipes

Isabel Minunni

The Vegan Meat Cookbook caters to that hungry audience with 100 recipes using trendy texture-based proteins made from soy, pea, and other plant-based alternatives. Illustrated with mouthwatering photos throughout, it provides background on these products, including those from well-known companies Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods.

Vegan on a Budget
125 Healthy, Wallet-Friendly, Plant-Based Recipes

Nava Atlas

Enjoy plant-based dishes every meal, every day—even burgers, pizza, and pasta. AND do it on a budget! In addition to pennywise but irresistible recipes, Nava Atlas supplies an arsenal of money-saving tips ranging from plant-based protein bargains, buying in bulk, and safe non-organic produce to coupons, apps, and ready-made vegan sauces.

Vegetarian Times Plant-Powered Protein Cookbook
Over 200 Healthy & Delicious Whole-Food Dishes

Mary Margaret Chappell

Protein is the macronutrient that’s on the tip of everyone’s tongue these days, but a protein-rich diet doesn’t have to mean chowing down on giant bowls of beans or plates of egg whites—nor does it have to include meat, fish, or poultry. In this book, the Vegetarian Times editors set the protein story straight, showing you how to meet all your protein needs with delicious, satisfying, easy-to-prepare recipes that fit seamlessly into any lifestyle.

The Book on Pie
Everything You Need to Know to Bake Perfect Pies

Erin Jeanne McDowell

A comprehensive handbook that distills all you’ll ever need to know for making perfect pies. The Book on Pie starts with the basics, including ways to mix pie dough for extra flaky crusts, storage and freezing, recipe size conversions, and expert tips for decorating and styling, before diving into the recipes for all the different kinds of pies: fruit, custard, cream, chiffon, cold set, savory, and mini. Find everything from classics like Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie, to more inspired recipes like Birthday-Cake Pie and Caramel Pork Pie with Chile and Scallions.

Dessert Person
Recipes and Guidance for Baking With Confidence

Claire Saffitz

Saffitz is a dessert person—and she believes we are all dessert people. Her recipes range from simple loaf cakes and cookies to fruit tarts and towering layer cakes, unexpected flavor combinations, and an emphasis on seasonal produce. In addition, she offers tips and insights to help you become your very best dessert person.

A Good Bake
The Art and Science of Making Perfect Pastries, Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Breads at Home

Melissa Weller

A comprehensive baking bible for the twenty-first century from the James Beard nominee who has redefined American baking. With 120 scientifically grounded recipes for sweet and savory baked goods anyone can master.

Good Housekeeping the Best-Ever Cookie Book
175 Tested-’til-Perfect Recipes for Crispy, Chewy & Ooey-Gooey Treats

Tiffany Blackstone, Trish Clasen, Kate Merker

The staff at Good Housekeeping share recipes for a collection of the best cookies to come out of their Test Kitchen ovens! There’s something here for every craving: chocolaty, nutty, crispy-crunchy and melt-in your mouth morsels of delight. These recipes will become your new favorites for every sweet occasion.

Martha Stewart’s Cake Perfection
100+ Recipes for the Sweet Classic, From Simple to Stunning

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart’s authoritative baking guide presents a beautiful collection of sheet cakes and chiffons, batters and buttercreams, and tiers and tortes to tackle every cake creation. Teaching and inspiring like only she can, Martha Stewart demystifies even the most extraordinary creations with her guidance and tricks for delicious cake perfection. From everyday favorites to stunning showstoppers, Martha creates bold, modern flavors and striking decorations perfect for birthdays, celebrations, and big bakes for a crowd.

Martha Stewart’s Fruit Desserts
100+ Delicious Ways to Savor the Best of Every Season

Martha Stewart

Gorgeous seasonal fruit abounds in Martha Stewart’s collection of 100+ comforting, foolproof recipes for crumbles, crisps, pies, buckles, and more. From perfectly ripe peaches and plump, tender figs to crisp, honey-sweet apples and bright, juicy citrus, Martha Stewart’s Fruit Desserts celebrates easy-to-prepare recipes that highlight the fresh, vibrant flavors of fruit at its peak. When the days grow shorter and cooler, enjoy cozy comforts including Apple Butter Hand Pies, Pumpkin and Ricotta Crostata, Cranberry Meringues, and Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake.

Nadiya Bakes

Nadiya Hussain

The host of the Netflix series Time to Eat and Nadiya Bakes—and the winner of the The Great British Baking Show—shares more than 100 simple and achievable recipes that are suited for beginner bakers and experienced pasty makers alike.

Perfectly Golden
Adaptable Recipes for Sweet and Simple Treats

Angela Garbacz

From her grandma’s famous peach coffee cake to caramel-covered pecan rolls, lemon meringue pie and frosted brownies to fluffernutter buns and confetti cookies, Garbacz’s pastries come out of the oven perfectly golden and regularly sell out. At her bakery, she creates delicious treats without dairy or gluten, but every recipe in this book can be made with butter and all-purpose flour just as easily as any alternative. With her positive attitude and confident voice, Garbacz makes it easy and fun to bake a perfect dessert that everyone can eat.

Rage Baking
The Transformative Power of Flour, Fury, and Women’s Voices

Kathy Gunst, Katherine Alford

Rage Baking offers over 50 cookie, cake, tart, and pie recipes as well as inspirational short stories/reflections/interviews with well-known bakers, and impassioned women and activists who have found a voice in and out of the kitchen, such as celebrity, cookbook author and activist Chrissy Teigen, actress and activist Maya Rudolph, Rebecca Traister (author of the bestselling book Good and Mad), and comedian and political commentator Samantha Bee.

Zoë Bakes Cakes
Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Favorite Layers, Bundts, Loaves, and More

Zoë François

Cake is the ultimate symbol of celebration, used to mark birthdays, weddings, or even just a Tuesday night. Yet too many people use chemical-laden mixes even though a cake is so easy to make from scratch and infinitely more fun to share. In Zoë Bakes Cakes, bestselling author Zoë François demystifies the craft of cakes with more than 100 easy-to-use recipes, showing how to get gorgeous confections on the table to mark any occasion, big or small.