No holiday would be complete without the wonderful baked goods that make every occasion special. Now Beatrice Ojakangas, one of America's best-loved bakers, presents more than 250 recipes in this comprehensive soon-to-be classic. Beatrice Ojakangas' Great Holiday Baking Book takes you from spring to winter with 21 cherished holidays and the favorite baked treats that make them memorable. For Valentine's Day, say "I love you" with a heart-shaped coffee cake and a plate of Lemon Hearts. Celebrate the Fourth of July with all-American Blueberry Bars and seasonal Peach Cream Pie. For Halloween, treat your friends to Peanut Butter Monsters. Thanksgiving offerings include such autumn favorites as Cinnamon -- Wild Rice Pudding, Raisin -- Sweet Potato Bread, and Pumpkin-Pecan Pie. For Christmas, the biggest baking season of the year, Beatrice Ojakangas pulls out all the stops, including recipes for 38 classic and fancy cookies, 18 yeast breads, 13 quick breads, 9 cakes (with wonderful fruitcakes), 10 bar cookies and brownies, and more. In addition to simple recipes, Beatrice Ojaleangas' Great Holiday Baking Book is chockfull of boxes with helpful tips and explanations of the various cultural holidays. Beatrice Ojakangas provides information on throwing a cookie-swap party, organizing your bustling holiday kitchen, involving the kids in baking fun, and more. With breads, cookies, cakes, pastries, and other festive specialties for almost every occasion, Beatrice Ojakangas' Great Holiday Baking Book is destined to become one-of those beloved flour-speckled volumes that will find its way off the bookshelf and into the kitchen over and over again.

Food is the heart of a Scandinavian home: scrumptious pies, delicate pastries, millions of cookies, and, of course, savory breads. Each country -- Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland -- has its specialty and no one goes hungry. In this mouthwatering collection, Beatrice Ojakangas calls on her own Scandinavian heritage and wide-ranging knowledge of baking to produce the definitive cookbook for this rich cultural heritage. Because Ojakangas stresses ease of preparation, even novice bakers will be able to make filled Danish pastries, Christmas buttermilk rye bread, or a few dozen pepparkakor, better known as gingersnaps. This handy reference highlights Scandinavian traditions too. There are recipes for sweet breads to be served with morning, afternoon, and evening coffee; for trays upon trays of cookies to serve as holiday or everyday treats; and for savory meat-and-vegetable pies.

Ojakangas brings to life the cuisines and customs of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark in this cookbook of authentic Scandinavian cooking.

Originally published as: Country tastes: best recipes from America's kitchens, 1988.

From one of America's most prolific and beloved cookbook authors comes a compendium of unique recipes for a universally appealing subject. This broad collection of soups, broths, bisques, and chowders ranges from summer coolers and hearty, warming stews to smooth, creamy soups and fiery broths. Marked by their straightforward preparation, accessible ingredients, and original pairings, Ojakangas's collection not only taps into her Scandinavian heritage but into flavorful soups from around the world-there's Swedish Pea, Morroccan Vegetable, Borscht, and Chicken and Dumplings to Feijoida, French Onion, Italian Meatball, and Asian Lemon Ginger. The bread recipes alone could fill a cookbook. Loaves, buns, sticks, and flatbreads are here, along with pretzels, pitas, toasts and focaccias. Organized by season and complemented by evocative photographs, The Soup & Bread Cookbook is an ideal volume for anyone who takes comfort in the essential pleasures of a bowl of soup and warm bread.

"With the help of James Beard Cookbook Hall of Famer Beatrice Ojakangas, breakfast will be not only the most important meal of the day, but the best tasting. With recipes drawn from her storied career and honed in her home kitchen, Breakfast with Beatrice prepares the cook--seasoned veteran or novice--to make breakfast the perfect start to every day"--