No one captures big-hearted, big-hatted Texas hospitality like Rebecca Rather. In Pastry Queen Parties, her eagerly awaited third book, Rebecca celebrates her home state's love of good company and great food. Traversing the Lone Star state's rich culinary landscape, Rebecca offers up a bevy of revel-ready menus for: • A West Texas ranch-style supper • Tex-Mex hacienda dining in San Antonio • A Gulf Coast summer beach bonanza • A small town homecoming picnic • A big city cocktail party • A sweet and sunny Hill Country garden party More than 100 recipes for starters, sides, main dishes, desserts, and drinks showcase Rebecca's bold and bounteous style of cooking. There's mouth-watering inspiration on every page: dig into a West Texas—sized plate of Beer-Braised Short Ribs, Green Tomato Macaroni and Cheese, and Butter Beans and Mixed Greens; or savor soul food San Antonio style with heaping helpings of Rosa' s Red Posole and Fiesta Chiles Rellenos. But save room for one of Rebecca's justly famous desserts: maybe a piece of that sky-high Giant Chocolate Cake with Cowboy Coffee Frosting, or a couple of Chubby's White Pralines, or–hey, those S'mores Cupcakes look pretty great . . . . Plentiful stories and useful cooking and entertaining tips from Rebecca and other great Texas hosts and hostesses, a roster of "party express" recipes to pull together quickly, and more than 100 gorgeous scenic and food photos from across the state, make Pastry Queen Parties an irresistible invitation to do it up big, Lone Star style.

The Best Little From-Scratch Bakery in Texas The pastry case in Rebecca Rather's bakery in Fredericksburg is packed with ultra-buttery scones, luscious cakes, cookies the size of saucers, brownies as big as bricks, and fruit pies that look as though they came straight out of Grandma's oven. Since the day Rebecca and her Rather Sweet Bakery and Café came to town, life in this Hill Country hamlet has been even sweeter and the townsfolk now know why she is the Pastry Queen. Everything she makes is a lot like her: down-home yet grand, and familiar yet one-of-a-kind. A native Texan, Rather makes the most of her Lone Star state's varied traditions, whether looking to the kitchens of Texas's Mexican and German immigrants or to the cowboy culture of her own forebears. Best of all, her recipes aren't fussy—one of her best-selling cakes stirs together in a single saucepan. Add in a cupful of Texas attitude and her made-from-scratch-with-love philosophy, and you've got an irresistible taste of American baking. What's best at Rather Sweet? Rebecca's customers all have their favorites (and she is happy to cater to their cravings), but here's just a taste of the perennial best sellers: • Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scones • Texas Big Hairs Lemon-Lime Tarts (the only big hair Rebecca has ever had!) • Fourth of July Fried Pies • Peach Queen Cake with Dulce de Leche Frosting • Turbo-Charged Brownies with Praline Topping • All-Sold-Out Chicken Pot Pies • Kolaches (pillowy yeasted buns with sweet or savory fillings) • PB&J Cookies With over 125 surefire tested recipes and 100 photographs that richly capture small-town life in the Hill Country, The Pastry Queen offers a Texas-size serving of the royal splendor of Rebecca's baked goods—courtesy of the rather sweet gal behind the case.

It's Christmastime at the Best Little Bakery in Texas The annual Fredericksburg Christmas parade marks the beginning of the Texas Hill Country's holiday season, which means the Pastry Queen is kicking into high gear at her Rather Sweet Bakery and Café. As party invitations pile up in the mailbox, Rebecca Rather is up to her elbows in sticky meringue, creamy chocolate, and a sleigh full of savory treats to meet the entertaining needs of her neighbors. In The Pastry Queen Christmas, Rebecca shares nearly 100 traditional recipes reflecting her made-with-love-from-scratch philosophy and the tastes of small-town Texas. Show-off desserts such as Chocolate Cookie Crusted Eggnog Cheesecake, Sticky Toffee Pudding with Brandy Butterscotch Sauce, and Warm Pear Ginger Upside-Down Cake with Amaretto Whipped Cream are the perfect toppers to a family-style feast of Texas Spice-Rubbed Roast Pork, Baked Apple Pear Chutney, Brown Sugar Bacon, and No-Peeking Popovers. Still hungry the next morning? No problem-this country girl does an impressive breakfast, too: Bite-Sized Sticky Buns, Sweet Potato Scones, Cast-Iron Skillet Potatoes, and Mexican Ranch Chilaquiles ought to fill you up. And if you're still looking for excuses to entertain this season, you'll find ooey-gooey baked goods wrapped up as gifts, homemade craft and décor ideas to make your home sparkle, and holiday-worthy menus guaranteed to make your gathering a Texas-sized success. Tree-trimming, cookie decorating, and Santas running down Main Street . . . Christmastime is here.

DIV Here are nearly 300 recipes, each of them worked out to fool-proof protection, including Raspberry-Strawberry Bavarian, creamy Black-and-White Cheesecake, Walnut Fudge Pie a la Mode, and many more. Recipes range from cakes to cookies, pastries, crepes, blintzes, popovers, cream puffs, puff pastry, pies, cheesecakes, ice creams, and souffles. /div

With handsome young men who never grow old, and the strangest of relatives appearing from dark corridors and long shadows, the frenzied imagination of the American Gothic is a fertile theme for this next anthology in the Gothic fantasy short story series. As with other titles in the series, new short fiction complements the work of classic authors including: Gertrude Atherton, Ambrose Bierce, Charles Brockden Brown, George Washington Cable, Charles W. Chesnutt, Kate Chopin, Ralph Adams Cram, Stephen Crane, Emma Dawson, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Ellen Glasgow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving, Shirley Jackson, Sarah Orne Jewett, Grace King, H.P. Lovecraft, Herman Melville, W.C. Morrow, Flannery O'Connor, Edgar Allan Poe, Annie Trumbull Slosson, Clark Ashton Smith, Harriet Prescott Spofford, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Edith Wharton, Madeline Yale Wynne.

Making a delicious pie has never been easier with this extensive cookbook from the popular Chicago bakery. When Paula Haney first opened the Hoosier Mama Pie Company on March 14, 2009 (Pi day, appropriately enough), she worried whether her new business could survive by specializing in just one thing. But with a line around the block, Paula realized she had a more immediate problem: had she made enough pie? The shop closed early that day, but it has been churning out plenty of the Chicago’s most delectable pies ever since. Specializing in hand-made, artisanal pies that only use locally sourced and in-season ingredients, Hoosier Mama Pie Company has become a local favorite and a national destination gaining praise from Bon Appetit, the Food Network, and Food & Wine as one of the top pie shops in the country. Now, The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie delivers all the sumptuous secrets of buttery crusts, fruity fillings, creams and custards, chess pies, over-the-top pies, and even the stout and hearty savory pie. The practically oriented, easy-going, and accessible style of this book will help bakers both new and old make the perfect pie for every occasion. On top of all of this, The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie also includes tips on technique, fascinating historical anecdotes, and an emphasis on special seasonal recipes, as well as quiches, hand pies, and scones. This beautifully photographed and designed book has the classic retro feel of the mid-20th century golden age of pie, and all the warmth and personality of the Hoosier Mama Pie Co.’s cozy Chicago storefront. The focus on using local produce and employing the farm-to-table philosophy gives the book a contemporary twist, helping home bakers make the freshest, most delicious pies imaginable. Now readers can take a little piece of the Hoosier Mama Pie Company anywhere they go. Praise for the Hoosier Mama Book of Pie “Paula Haney . . . just put out a massive cookbook with her recipes . . . and it’s something very special. The almost-400-page tome details Hoosier Mama’s opening and development, as well as Haney’s recipes for everything from crust to biscuits to custard fillings. The photos make everything look delicious and, to the above-average baker, everything seems relatively easy to execute.” —Marah Eakin, The AV Club “Everything you could possibly want to know about proper pie making is covered . . . No facet of the process is too humble for discussion; the merits of salt in the crust is given as much thought as the best way to combine butter and flour. If you’ve ever wanted to learn the right way to crimp a pie, or how to make lattice work actually work, this is the book for you.” —Serious Eats, naming Hoosier Mama a top dessert cookbook of 2013