Do you make food resolutions? Maybe you are determined to eat less refined sugar, include more vegetables, or expand the number of home-cooked meals for your family in 2025. If you are in need of some inspiration, Smiley Library can provide you with fresh ideas from our latest additions to our cookbook collection.
Tieghan Gerard is serving large portions of comfort food that are do-ably delicious in her latest book, “Half Baked Harvest Quick and Cozy.” Creamy turmeric lemon chicken and orzo, baked broccoli cheddar-gruyere, and loaded potato topped with sour cream, bacon, and green onion are some of the soup options to fill your bowl. For some oven-baked dinner options, do try sheet pan mac and cheese, double-baked taquitos, gochujang margherita pizza, and cider-braised beef brisket. Tieghan offers a select number of desserts including blackout sprinkle cookies, maple banana pudding, apple honey cake, and frosted peanut butter brownies.
One way that people express their love and appreciation for others is through cooking and baking. Pamela Anderson did this for her two grown sons with a housewarming gift of family favorite meals written on recipe cards. Later, those cards were developed into her cookbook, “I Love You” for all of us to enjoy. Vegetables and bread take center stage with nourishing recipes for crispy saffron-spinach rice cake, harvest veggie pot pies, salad pizza, heirloom tomato galette with cashew cream, and herby French potato salad. Pamela’s love for bread shines through with cinnamon rolls with maple glaze which includes a sourdough variation, crispy stacks of waffles, soft pretzels, and rustic sourdough. These dishes and more are all Vegan-friendly as no animal products appear in her recipes.
“I love the excitement that dessert brings to daily life. A weeknight dinner feels a little more special topped off by dessert.” If you are a fan of sweet treats but also desire to reduce refined sugar, then check out “Not Too Sweet” by Jessica Seinfeld. Pineapple upside-down coconut cake, roasted strawberry pop tarts, chocolate brownies, and figs in a blanket are a sampling from the 100 recipes on offer. As an added bonus, many desserts are also gluten-free, grain-free, and/or dairy-free.
Finally, here is an extra helping of recent titles for mealtime inspiration: “Ottolenghi Comfort” by Yotam Ottolenghi, “Simply Jamie” by Jamie Oliver, “Martha the Cookbook” by Martha Stewart, “The Pasta Queen” by Nadia Caterina Munno, and “When Southern Women Cook” edited by Morgan Bolling.