Whether it was a whirlwind romance or you've known each other for years, you are entering a new stage of life. Now that you're married, it's time to think about the new life and traditions you'd like to create.

A simple teaching cookbook for busy young couples who will be sharing cooking and entertaining tasks furnishes a wide variety of recipes and menu suggestions, each of which includes a list of essential utensils, a set of do-ahead instructions, and serving tips. Tour.

As Abigail Kirsch knows after catering thousands of weddings, being a newlywed is all about beginning new traditions. One of the most pleasurable of those traditions is entertaining at home. But couples just starting to invite friends, family, and business colleagues for casual or more formal meals need some help in the kitchen, and Abigail Kirsch is here to offer her expert guidance. In The Bride and Groom’s First Cookbook, Abigail Kirsch introduced young couples to the delights of learning to cook side by side. Now, in her new book, she provides neophyte cooking couples with complete game plans for dinner parties, lunches, or brunches throughout the year. The menus, arranged seasonally, feature plenty of "Do-Ahead" suggestions, recipes that are easy and fun to prepare, and basic wine recommendations. From a summer Pulled-Pork Barbecue to a fall Hearty Short Rib Dinner to an Apres Ski Pasta Supper for winter to a spring Baked Ham brunch, there is something here for every time of year and occasion. Even a first Thanksgiving can be nearly carefree when quick-cooking game hens are the more flavorful stand-in for turkey. For each season, too, there is a vegetarian menu. And separate chapters covering hors d’oeuvres and desserts make it simple to plan a cocktail or dessert party. Veteran party-giver Abigail Kirsch also shares her know-how when it comes to decorating a table and serving food stylishly. With Abigail Kirsch’s confidence-boosting advice, new couples will find at-home entertaining foolproof and enjoyable.

Did you ever have a dinner party disaster? Yes, I'm afraid so. Have you ever bitten off more than you could chew by cooking a complex main course? Well, yes. Did you ever find yourself barbecuing a large pig in your swimsuit and sarong when uninvited porn stars show up for dinner? Uh...now wait just a minute... If any or all of these things happened to you, fear not. They've all happened to Brigit Binns, the globe-trotting expert on relaxed and elegant entertaining, and she's here to help turn disasters into delight. Brigit's not afraid to admit that she's had plenty of dinner party nightmares because she's learned from her mistakes. In The Relaxed Kitchen, she's here to share some hilarious stories of her failures, her embarrassments and, happily, her triumphs; but, most importantly, she's here to share her hard-won entertaining secrets. From a precariously balanced Napoleon dripping with deep red berry sauce – served in a pristine, just-decorated, all-white London flat – to frying an almost hallucinatory overabundance of duck breasts and potato cakes on a blisteringly hot terrace in Spain, Brigit's learned what works beautifully and what doesn't. From her years as a cookbook author, she's developed a surefire plan that insures casually elegant entertaining. The recipes? Well, they're just what you'd expect from someone in love with bold, Mediterranean flavors: - smoky shrimp escabeche - fried almonds with turmeric - Tuscan style artichokes - roasted pepper and sausage torta rustica - butterflied leg of lamb with rosemary - roast chicken strewn with thyme branches - chimichurri skirt steak - grilled lobster with smoked paprika mayo As Brigit says at the opening of the book, "I fell in love with food before I got my first bra." Only someone like Brigit, who is passionate about cooking, whose insatiable quest to entertain often and well has led to some questionable decisions and amusing results could persevere and arrive at a fail-safe plan for entertaining with elegance and ease. So invite Brigit Binns home, and make your own kitchen a Relaxed Kitchen.

Move over Napa, here is the only up-to-date, stunningly photographed gift book available on California’s hottest, fastest-growing wine country, the Central Coast, with 120 wine-friendly and wine-inclusive recipes. “The New Wine Country Cookbook provides an evocative view of the dynamic food and wine culture of California’s fastest growing wine region. The Central Coast should be on every food and wine lover’s radar.” —Rajat Parr, wine director of the michael mina group and author of the James Beard award–winning Secrets of the Sommeliers “Paso Robles . . . is becoming a hot destination, worthy of the most discerning wine and food travelers.” —Wine spectator Even if you can’t visit (and believe me, after paging through this gorgeous book, you’ll want to), this book will help you create a convivial, wine-country feast in your own home.“Paso Robles is a region full of mavericks and innovators…French wine nobility cultivate vineyards next to fourth-generation cowboys, and for every sleek new wine bar, there's a cowboy saloon with moose heads hung on the walls.” —Justluxe.com “This is an incredible and beautiful collection of recipes, stories about Central Coast vineyards, and photos. It makes you feel like you are a native of this beautiful, down-to-earth wine region of California. Brigit knows this world and describes it in ways not many can do. I’m completely jazzed to try these recipes.” —Susan Feniger, chef and owner of Border Grill Restaurants and Susan Feniger’s Street California’s Central Coast wine country is on everyone’s lips. Running roughly from Monterey to Santa Barbara, the Central Coast is the fastest-growing American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the state. Here, great minds conceive and create great wines—many of them blends of Rhône grape varieties. Complement these wines with the lush resources of unspoiled land, sea, and barnyard and you have the recipe for a fresh and alluring wine country lifestyle. For nearly two centuries, people have gravitated to the Golden State. But it’s the center of the state that remains pristine, far enough from the crowded cities but close enough for a long weekend trip. The land of rolling, golden hills; lush agricultural produce; and simple values still remains. You could call it “Tuscany, with cowboys.” In this lushly photographed tome, best-selling cookbook author Brigit Binns writes a vivid, delicious love letter to her home state. 120 Wine-friendly and wine-inclusive dishes showcase California’s glorious bounty, such as Shaved Artichoke and Pancetta Salad with Lavender; Fennel- and Garlic-Crusted Roast Chicken; Petrale Sole with Pinot Noir Butter Sauce; and Fresh Fig Tart with Honey, Goat Cheese, and Pistachios. Each recipe has a wine pairing suggestion from the region as well as from afar. Plus, 25 get-to-know-them profiles bring the reader inside the hearts and minds of the region’s passionate winemakers and food artisans. We all dream of the wine country lifestyle. With The New Wine Country Cookbook, you can now savor the romance, bold honest flavors, and rustic outdoor sensibility of California’s sublimely unpretentious new wine country in your own home.

A concise guide to cooking with this durable, heirloom quality pot, plus twenty-five easy recipes. These simple and delicious recipes for one-pot cooking offer easy-to-follow instructions and new ideas on how to utilize this versatile vessel, as well as contemporary adaptations of Dutch oven classics. Mouthwatering photography and a section with tips and tricks for using and caring for the cookware are included. The easy-to-follow recipes describe how to cook everything from long-simmered braises and sautés to soups, side dishes, and even crusty breads. You’ll find: Beef—Game Day Chili, Maple-Bourbon Short Ribs, Five-Spice Beef Stew Poultry—Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Faux Chicken Pho, Braised Chicken with Olives, Artichokes & Preserved Lemon Pork—Pork Belly Ramen, Carnitas with Pickled Red Onions Seafood—Bouillabaisse, Shrimp & Grits Pasta, Breads, and Sides—Asparagus & Pea Risotto with Parmesan & Mint, Pasta & Cannellini Bean Soup, Easy Overnight Bread, Summer Vegetable Lasagna