On holidays we gather with family and friends to share special traditions, special times, and delicious food. Preparing these dishes can be just as enjoyable as eating them, and in this cookbook, Jane Breskin Zalben has compiled mouth-watering recipes that are fun for the whole family to make. There are recipes for each holiday of the year, from traditional favorites, like corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day and potato latkes for Chanukah, to more unusual treats like Cupid Cupcakes and Christmas Cranberry-Apple Tea Loaf. Each recipe is illustrated with detailed, charming watercolor paintings that express the uniqueness of the holiday. Background notes for the celebrations make them more meaningful, as readers discover the origins of their favorite holidays. Also included is a glossary of terms for the beginning cook.

Exquisitely designed and easy to follow, this cookbook has everything you need to make your favorite family treats throughout the seasons — and memories for years to come.

Jane Breskin Zalben has not only written and illustrated many children's books, but also has designed and acted as art director for most of them. She is the author of the award-winning Beni's Family Cookbook for the Jewish Holidays, an ALA Notable book, as well as the holiday series featuring Pearl, the lamb, which includes Pearl Plants a Tree, Pearl's Marigolds for Grandpa (both ABA Pick of the Lists), and most recently, Pearl's Eight Days of Chanukah. She says, "Making books is like cooking: You take the ingredients of life — a little bit of this, a little bit of that — and a story comes out. What a joy creating a book of recipes for all American holidays throughout the year, learning the origins of the holidays, and then — the icing on the cake — doing the art for each recipe!" Her web site address is www.janebreskinzalben.com. Ms. Zalben lives with her family and her lop-eared rabbit, Zoë, on Long Island, New York. She can often be found writing and painting in her favorite room of the house — the kitchen.

CONTENTS

NEW YEAR'S DAY

Jack Frost's Tropical Punch

Potato Crescent Horns

Three-Bean Chill and Guacamole

Quarterback Quiche

VALENTINE'S DAY

Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies

Chocolate-Lover's Lollipops

Cupid Cupcakes with Pink Frosting

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Lucky Clover Salad

Irish Soda Bread

Molly's Potato and Barley Soup

Corned Beef and Cabbage

APRIL FOOLS' DAY

Oatmeal Raisin "Ant" Cookies

Lemon Poppy Pound Cake

EASTER

Decorating Easter Eggs

E. Bunny's Chopped Egg Salad

Hot Cross Breakfast Buns

Sunday Roast Lamb

PASSOVER

The Seder Plate

Apple-and-Walnut Haroset

Date-and-Almond Haroset

Vegetarian Matzoh Ball Soup

Classic Brisket

Fanny's Flourless Chocolate Cake

MOTHER'S DAY

Fluffy Cinnamon French Toast

Mama's Mocha Truffles

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

MEMORIAL DAY

Waldorf Salad

Cucumber, Yogurt and Mint Salad

Orange Couscous

Wild Rice Pilaf

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Veteran's Vegetable Kebabs

FATHER'S DAY

Belgian Waffles and Blueberry Pancakes

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Papa's Lemonade

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Firecracker Potato Salad

Stars and Stripes Fusilli

Patriotic Cheesecake

All-American Fruit Salad

LABOR DAY

Laid-Back Banana Bread

Easy Chicken Salad

Virtual Burgers

Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler

September S'mores

HALLOWEEN

Halloween Haunted House Party Foods

Acorn Squash Soup

Black and Orange Pasta

Monster Muffins

Pumpkin Cookies

THANKSGIVING

Cranberry-Orange Relish

Chestnut Stuffing

Roast Turkey with Potatoes and Carrots

Mushroom Gravy

Pilgrim Pumpkin Pie

CHANUKAH

Pearl's Potato Latkes

Avi's Cinnamon-Stick Applesauce

Bubbe's Baked Apples

Uncle Solly's Sufganiyot/Jelly Doughnuts

KWANZAA

Buttermilk Corn Bread

Sweet Potato Pudding

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Black-Eyed Pea Cutlets and Collard Greens

CHRISTMAS

Santa's Elves' Eggless Eggnog

Mulled Apple Cider

Candy Cane Hot Chocolate

Spiced and Iced Gingerbread Animals

Yuletide Date Logs and Snowballs

Christmas Cranberry-Apple Tea Loaf

Mrs. Claus's Plum Pudding

GLOSSARY

INDEX