Taste of Excellence Cookbook or Last Minute Party Girl

Taste of Excellence Cookbook: Holland America Line, Vol. 1

Author: Rudi Sodamin

Every year, more than 600,000 passengers climb aboard Holland America's luxury ships and travel the seas in search of new and extravagant adventures. Promising an unforgettable and world-class culinary experience, Holland America has written a cookbook that makes it possible to re-create its magical meals at home. Holland America's Master Chef Rudi Sodamin has compiled more than 100 favorite recipes from each of the line's 14 vessels, offering a comprehensive menu for all times of the day along with elaborate yet easy-to-follow recipes for refreshing drinks and cocktails. From savory Dungeness Crab Cakes with Lime Ginger Sauce to velvety Roasted Shallot and Butternut Squash Soup with Beet Crisps to mouthwatering Wild Mushroom, Spinach, and Feta Cheese Strudel, Sodamin will keep you eating and dining in high style while landlocked. Including a timeline and history of Holland America, A Taste of Excellence Cookbook is the perfect cookbook for the lovers of the sea.

Book review: Quick and Easy Low Carb Cooking for People with Diabetes or Country Living Eating Outdoors

Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining

Author: Erika Lenkert

Hip tips for fabulous fetes on little money and even less time

When the budget is tight and the schedule even tighter, what's a party girl to do? How can she whip up a swanky soiree they'll be dishing about at the watercooler for weeks to come? With The Last-Minute Party Girl, how can she not? A quick dip into this savvy, sassy entertainment guide will inspire any harried, just-got-home-from-the-office hostess to new heights of fabulousness.

Whether an elegant sit-down dinner or a finger food feast, everything required for a party with panache is covered, including innovative invites, cool cocktail creations, and must-have munchies.

This ultimate guide to sensational, spontaneous entertaining includes:

• More than 100 recipes for impressive but easily doable dishes
• Decorating tricks
• Emergency supplies for the party-girl pantry
• Quick refreshers on hostess etiquette
• Industry insiders' favorite cost- and time- cutting tips

Erika Lenkert has spent the last decade sharing her lively perspective on food, wine, travel, and lifestyle trends in publications such as In Style, Bon Appétit, Travel & Leisure, Los Angeles magazine, San Francisco magazine, and Frommer's. A native San Franciscan, Erika now resides in Napa Valley.