Best Cookbooks

The Paula Deen Christmas Cookbook: Christmas with Paula Deen is a perfect stocking stuffer for your favorite cook. Paula Deen was on the Today Show this morning promoting her latest Christmas cookbook titled simply:

Christmas with Paula Deen

She made everyone crack up on the Today Show set when she took a bite that "was not a Princess Bite" of her Pepper Soy Beef Tenderloin(recipe provided below), and then couldn't speak for several minutes because she was so busy chewing the huge bite. She eventually decided to turn around, daintily spit it out, and finish promoting her delicious looking Christmas recipes.

I just love Paula Deen's recipes. They're always so easy to make, yet every one I've made has been a crowd pleaser.

It was absolutely hilarious to watch as she struggled with her mouthful, and Matt Lauer teased her that they would have to come back after the break and start over.

It made me chuckle, as Paula is well known for wolfing down bites on her show and not being able to talk.

You just have to love her!

That beef tenderloin looked unbelievable, and she said it only took 40 minutes. Her cheesy Potato Casserole looked like a great alternative to mashed. And she had another cheesy dish that had brussel sprouts that made me want to give them a second chance.

Talk about easy recipes for Christmas Dinner!

I'll definitely be putting Paula Deen's cookbook Christmas with Paula Deen on my Christmas wish list this year.

--I just found out The Gook Cook Cookbook Club carries this Paula Deen cookbook - Mom... Hint, hint...I need easy recipes for Christmas dinner...hint, hint, hint.

This is Paula's tenderloin recipe from her new Christmas cookbook: Christmas with Paula Deen

Soy-Rubbed Tenderloin

Paula Deen
Serves 10 to 12

"This is really so simple. I buy a whole tenderloin when it goes on sale and have it cut in two. I fix one that night and freeze the other for a special occasion." - Paula

(I plan to try this easy recipe for Christmas dinner.)

INGREDIENTS

• One 4- to 5-pound beef tenderloin


• 1/2 cup soy sauce


• Freshly ground black pepper


DIRECTIONS:

Allow the beef to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the tenderloin in a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and rub all over with the soy sauce. Rub the meat all over with a generous amount of black pepper.

Roast the tenderloin for 45 to 50 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you prefer. (Using a meat thermometer, 125 degrees F is rare; 135 degrees F is medium rare; and 140 degrees F is medium.)

Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before you slice it.

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Don't you just love Paula Deen's Recipes?!

The new Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is getting rave reviews. Not to be confused with the original: Barefoot Contessa Cookbook co-authored by Martha Stewart, Ina Garten's new creation: Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again, features the comforting, home cooked meals that Ina misses when she travels abroad.

The recipes in Barefoot Contessa at Home are simple to prepare, yet have that elegant flair that Ina Garten is famous for. These recipes will get you out of the kitchen quickly, and are guaranteed to impress your family and friends.

I'd be willing to bet that any cook would find at least 10 recipes in Barefoot Contessa at Home that they'd be racing to test drive. The Tomato Pesto Paninis are a personal favorite of mine, but the Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing are absolutely to die for!

The Sonoma Diet Cookbook is all about food, wine, and stable weight loss. What better combination is there? Food, for me, is all about celebration, and that's the philosophy behind The Sonoma Diet Cook Book.

The Sonoma Diet Cook Book contains 150 balanced, flavorful recipes that are easy to incorporate into your routine. Each recipe is portion controlled and has the nutritional breakdown that is helpful for people who have specific dietary restrictions.

For those who follow the Sonoma Diet Plan, this cookbook is a perfect accompaniment since its recipes are divided into the 3 "waves" that the Sonoma Diet is famous for. Specific foods and portion sizes are highlights of each wave.

Cooking for a healthy lifestyle rather than dieting is an easy way to incorporate the recipes in the Sonoma Diet Cookbook. For those busy days when a home cooked meal is not an option, the book provides a handy pull-out guide for making smart eating choices while dining out.

The Sonoma Diet Cook Book is one that will be a favorite for the whole family. With its nutritionally sound, balanced, delicious recipes, the Sonoma Diet Cookbook uses the word "diet" but makes it almost unnecessary. This cookbook is appropriate for anyone, even the few who non't need to lose weight.

To be able to eat, enjoy the colors and full flavors, and still lose weight in the process, is a blessing. The Sonoma Diet Cookbook provides this and more. Though the recipes are healthy and portion sizes aid in weight loss, they never leave you feeling deprived. Quite the contrary, actually.

The Sonoma Diet Cookbook's colorful, enticing photos draw you in, and the fact that the recipes actually come out looking like they do in the photos - and taste as good as they look, will keep this cookbook on your kitchen counter for years to come.

While some have criticized this cookbook for using some pre-prepared ingredients in some recipes, I feel that it makes them more convenient to make without disrupting the nutritional balance.

With my busy schedule, using shortcuts to prepare healthy meals is a huge time saver, not a sacrifice. Besides, any "diet" book that includes wine in its recommendations, is a cookbook that I applaud. I will be cooking with The Sonoma Diet Cook Book tonite.
This book is also available at The Good Cook Cook Book Club.