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Cook Something New!

Stuck in a rut in the kitchen? There's nothing like the New Year to inspire us to try something new for dinner. Perhaps you were among the lucky recipients of a new cookbook or two. If not, we have a few cookbook suggestions that may help you add some surprises at mealtime in 2023! 

Snacks Transformed

Our first two cookbooks take Tex-Mex favorites and show how they can be expanded into substantial dinnertime offerings and even desserts! 

Quesadillas

First up Quesadillas by Donna Kelly. Quesadilla roughly translates to "little cheese snack" and is a traditional after-school snack for many hungry kids. Kelly shows us how to easily add a few more ingredients and turn a snack into a delicious meal. She uses baking, grilling, toasting, and even a waffle iron, as heating elements to meld ingredients together. There are chapters on Favorites, Vegetarian, Desserts, and Salsas and Sauces, as well as suggestions on how to turn leftovers into quick meals. Up your quesadilla game for easy meals at the end of a long day!

Nachos for Dinner

Some of us already have nachos for dinner, but Dan Whalen has some creative ideas that can take our nachos to the next level. Whalen sees nachos as having three essential components - a crispy base, a melty sauce, and a flavorful topper. With this basic threesome, Whalen concocts some surprising sheet pan meals around classic dinner dishes. Chapters include Nacho School Building Blocks, Soups, Salads, Apps - Nachofied, Sandwiches and Tacos (But Make Them Nachos), Hearty Comfort in Nacho Form, Brunch, and Midnight Snack'chos. Add a nacho night to your weekly dinners with this cookbook full of fun and delicious recipes.

New Skills

Growing our skills is as important in the kitchen as it is in other facets of our lives. It will also be appreciated by those for whom we are cooking. Here are two cookbooks that can extend our knowledge and even save us some money!

How To Grill Vegetables 

Already a grill meister? Let 2023 be the year to expand your expertise into the realm of grilling vegetables. Steven Raichlen's encyclopedic guide starts with selecting a grill or smoker, fuels, tools, techniques, and the special requirements for grilling vegetables. Chapters include - How to Grill Vegetables Like a Pro in 9 Easy Steps, Starters and Pass Arounds, Dips and Chips, Salads, Slaws & a Singular Soup, Breads, Pizzas, Quesadillas & Sandwiches, Vegetable Small Plates, Vegetable Not So Small Plates, Vegetable Sides, Grilled Eggs & Cheeses, Desserts, Sauces, Condiments and Seasonings, and a Vegetable Abecedarian. The book is full of surprises that will set your offerings apart and delight your guests and family. 

How To Make the Best Coffee at Home 

If one of your resolutions was to cut back on that expensive coffee shop habit, James Hoffman is here to help. How to Make the Best Coffee at Home is his concise summary of everything that's important to know to help you make a great cuppa joe. He's divided the book into chapters focusing on How to Buy Great Coffee, The Essentials for Great Coffee [sorting out coffee equipment that is essential from nice to have], How to Taste Coffee [and develop your coffee palate], How to Brew Great Coffee, Iced Coffee and Cold Brew, and How to Make Great Espresso [a deep dive into the hows and whys of brewing a perfect cup]. 

International

Have an international restaurant or cuisine that you just can't get enough of? Why not deepen your appreciation by learning to cook a few of your favorite dishes at home? Here are some of our favorites from India, Vietnam, and Mexico.

Plant-Based India

Sheil Shukla's Plant-Based India is a vegan cookbook that was included on the New York Times list of Best Cookbooks for 2022. Filled with mouth-watering photos, the book features over 100 vegan recipes that are recreations of Skukla's Gujarati family recipes and a few of his own creations like Creamy Chili Pasta with its origin in the boxed macaroni and cheese he loved as a child! The book is divided into chapters on Starters and Lighter Meals, Farsan - Snacks and Sides, Soups and Salads, Shak - Vegetable Dishes, Gravy Dishes, Dal - Legume Stews, Bhat - Rice Dishes, Rotli - Indian Flatbreads, Mithai - Desserts, Pinu - Drinks, Chutney and Other Condiments, and Masala - Spice Blends. There are also sections on Important Nutrients and Sources for a Plant-Based Diet and ingredients to have on hand for your Indian Pantry.

Vietnamese - Simple Vietnamese Food to Cook at Home 

If you love the freshness of Vietnamese cuisine, let Uyen Luu be your guide to making delicious Vietnamese dishes at home. Knowing that some ingredients may not be easy to find, she offers substitutions that are in harmony with the originals and can be found in your neighborhood supermarket. Chapters include The Vietnamese Pantry, My Kitchen Tips, An-Com - Things to Eat with Rice, Sharing Vegetables, Proper Salads - Vietnamese Style, Feasting, Heavenly Noodle Soups, Quick Midweek Meals, Sweet Things, and Basics. Basics include recipes for sticky rice and those essential dipping sauces! 

My Mexico - A Culinary Odyssey with Recipes

We lost Diana Kennedy in 2022. What better way of honoring this pioneering cookbook writer than to spend time cooking our way through her My Mexico - A Culinary Odyssey with Recipes? Kennedy fell in love with Mexican food in the 1950s. She was known for her travels throughout the country in search of specific dishes, ingredients, and techniques. She honored home cooks by telling their stories and sharing their recipes. My Mexico is divided into regional sections - The Western Center and the Pacific Coast, A Journey North - the Bajio to the Northern Plains, The Central Hub, The Gulf Coast, The Southern Pacific Coast, and A Miscellany of Culinary Experiences that includes Rarities, Mushrooms, and Old Mexican Cookbooks!