Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Kitchen Literacy: Let the Library Help you Plan Your Holiday Menu

Megan Fenton is an Adult Services Librarian at the Greenburgh Public Library. She enjoys contemporary fiction, audio memoirs, and most of all exploring the library's cookbook collection. She is a self-taught home cook and hopes that Kitchen Literacy will help other aspiring cooks explore the basics of cooking and getting to know their way around the kitchen. 

Hosting a holiday soirée is a favorite past time of mine. It's one of my greatest joys during the holiday season-- the opportunity to gather with those who are close to our hearts, enjoy each other's company, and most of all... EAT! I love the creativity I get to express when setting the stage for these gatherings, and it also affords me the opportunity to let my inner Ina Garten shine.

Don't be intimidated, though! You don't have channel Ina or Martha Stewart, and you certainly don't have to have a big budget or space to host a party that your friends will remember for years to come. In my early 20s I managed to squeeze nearly 25 of my friends into my one-bedroom Queens apartment, for a delightful holiday celebration of affordable wine, cheese, and remote control cars (you'd be surprised how easy it is to ignore a small space when you're having fun!). Today my gatherings are a little smaller and typically involve fewer tiny zooming vehicles-- now it's usually a handful of close friends, some charcuterie or a long roasted side of beef, and when i'm feeling really fancy my grandmother's heirloom china (which also lets me honor her hostess spirit). 

I'm here to share some ideas for creating all kinds of holiday menus, and to share some great titles we have here at the library to help you plan a mouth watering and celebratory spread!  

Holiday Family Dinner 

For those interested in the Norman Rockwell-esque holiday tablescape-- going all out with a slow roasted centerpiece can be a real treat. While a whole turkey or ham are classic main courses, try something different like a rack of lamb (my favorite recipe here) or a standing rib roast as a modern twist but with the same dramatic appeal. The wonderful thing about these main dishes is that they are often easy to make (only roasting required!) you can focus a lot of your creative energy on the often overlooked, but full of potential side-dishes! I love the chance to fancy up a humble vegetable, and there are so many great cookbook authors out there now elevating vegetables to the standing of these roasted centerpieces that there is potential for every part of your meal to really shine. Looking for inspiration for this classic-style holiday dinner with modern twists? Try these cookbooks: 

All about Roasting by Molly Stevens

Successful restaurateurs have always known that adding "roasted" to a dish guarantees immediate appeal. Molly Stevens brings her trademark thoroughness and eye for detail to the technique of roasting. She breaks down when to use high heat, moderate heat, or low heat to produce juicy, well-seared meats, caramelized drippings, and concentrated flavors. 

 

 

Festive Holiday Recipes by Addie Gundry

In Festive Holiday Recipes, Food Network star Addie Gundry offers easy, delightful holiday recipes all in one place for everyone looking for that last minute recipe for entertaining. There's a reason it's called the most wonderful time of the year. From easy appetizers for holiday and New Year's Eve entertaining, like Caramelized Onion Tartlets, to recipes for The Best Roast Turkey and all your favorite sides, pies, and even leftover ideas, this book is a home cook's trusty sous chef for easy and elegant entertaining throughout the holiday season. 

Root-To-Stalk Cooking by Tara Duggan

A cookbook featuring more than 65 recipes that make use of the parts of vegetables that typically get thrown away, including stalks, tops, ribs, fronds, and stems, with creative tips for making the most of seasonal ingredients to stretch the kitchen dollar. 

 

 

 

Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison

In her latest cookbook, Deborah Madison, America's leading authority on vegetarian cooking and author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, reveals the surprising relationships between vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs within the same botanical families, and how understanding these connections can help home cooks see everyday vegetables in new light. 

Holiday Brunch

Brunch is not a meal I host often, but during my childhood this mid-morning gathering was a focal point of the Christmas season. Every Christmas morning my mother would invite over my grandparents and all of our visiting relatives to partake in egg casserole, citrus salad, and her lusted-after homemade cinnamon rolls. I love brunch parties, especially if you are a planner, because it almost requires you to get most of it ready the night before, taking lots of pressure off the morning of and affording you more relaxation with guests. You also have the option of really investing in one dish- like homemade bagels or cinnamon rolls, and creating the rest of the spread in a cocktail party style- easy peel fruits, spreads, lox, and even cheeses. Looking for inspiration for an early bird party like brunch? Check these out: 

Sunny-Side Up by Waylynn Lucas

Sunny-Side Up is about making delicious brunch and breakfast food with love and attention--whether it's a scrambled egg for one or a full-on champagne brunch buffet for a special occasion. And it's not an exclusive party for seasoned foodies. In fact, Waylynn considers it her responsibility as a trained pastry chef to make things less--not more--complicated for home cooks who want to make super-yummy breakfast delights in their own kitchen. 

 

Biscuit Head by Jason Roy; Carolyn Roy

Learn the secrets for making the best breakfast, lunch, and everything in between. At Biscuit Head, people line up around the block for the pillowy Classic Cathead Biscuit, mile-high biscuit sandwiches, and addictive sides. Now you can impress your family and friends with the same recipes at home! Start by finding your favorite biscuits. In addition to the iconic classic, you'll find the best Gluten-Free Biscuit ever, the crowd-pleasing Beer City Biscuit, and more. Then top them with a crazy good selection of gravies, preserves, honeys, and butters. 

Sarabeth's Good Morning Cookbook by Sarabeth Levine; Genevieve Ko; Quentin Bacon 

This companion to the best-selling Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours is the first comprehensive cookbook for late morning recipes to come out in decades. Like the iconic Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham, this essential volume covers beloved American classics, from savory to sweet. 

 

Holiday Cocktail Party

Cocktail parties are a very low effort but still very festive way to celebrate the season. This type of gathering can be ideal for small spaces and when you have limited seating, as people can drop in when they're available (attendance will be staggered) and you can serve help yourself hors d'Oeuvres on small plates. Tips for a successful menu-- have a combination of hot and cold options as well as flavors and textures. For example, if you're going to serve hot mini quiches and pigs-in-a-blanket, make sure you also have something like spiced mixed nuts or fresh and crunchy crudites. Another tip of mine for easing the stress of a holiday cocktail party-- try serving a signature cocktail, where you can mix up a whole pitcher or punch bowl of your chosen libation (and make sure you always have equally delicious options for those who do not consume alcohol: try juices, mocktails, and punches)! Take a look at these titles for ideas to plan your next cocktail party: 

On Boards by Lisa Dawn Bolton

Serving food on boards is the perfect solution to sharing delicious and beautiful food with family and friends. Requiring minimum preparation and giving maximum, mouthwatering impact, boards allow you to casually entertain in style--without being strapped to the stove or having the stress of timing a perfect meal. All of the boards in this book can be pulled together in under 20 minutes, and all have easy and flexible suggestions for the best tastes and textures to pair, as well as presentation and styling tips for every occasion.

 

 

The Party Food Bible by Lisa Eisenman Frisk; Monica Eisenman; Roland Persson (By (photographer))

Planning a cocktail party or a night in with your best friends? Looking to create tasty delights that are guaranteed to get everyone talking? The Party Food Bible is the must-have guide to making easy and delicious edibles--in miniature! Served up on everything from skewers to spoons, the 565 recipes in this unique cookbook offer bite-size delicacies, stylish drinks, and scrumptious desserts that are perfect for cocktail parties, baby or bridal showers, wedding receptions, birthdays, or any festive occasion.

 

Batch Cocktails by Maggie Hoffman

A hip, accessible guide to batch cocktail-making for entertaining, with 65 recipes that can be made hours--or weeks!--ahead of time so that hosts and hostesses have one less thing to worry about as the doorbell rings. 

 

 

 

Gather Around Cocktails by Aaron Goldfarb

Gather Around Cocktails is a collection of 45 recipes that take you through a year of holidays and other unexpected occasions to celebrate with friends and family. Included are refreshing twists on classics like Christmas nogs, mulled wines, and New Year's Eve and Day tipples, as well as cocktails for delightful new festivities: easy apres ski drinks, a batched Superbowl spritz, and a romantic Valentine's Day cocktail for two. Complete with tips on creative ways to serve your guests-from a self-serve bloody mary bar to a champagne tower-making drinks for two or 100 has never been easier. 

 

The Westchester Library System also has quite a few holiday cookbooks for vegetarians, vegans, and those with dietary restrictions. Whatever style of holiday party you are planning, we've got great titles to inspire you and help you plan. Of course, the best predictor of a jolly and joyful party is going to be the company that you keep, but a menu that fits your budget, skills, and vision will only enhance the experience! Happy planning and happy holidays to you and yours!