By Debbie Macomber
Harlequin, $22.95, 240 pages
ISBN 9780373892396

Sprinkled with personal stories and her down-to-earth style, best-selling author Debbie Macomber opens the door and invites readers to share the holiday spirit in Debbie Macomber’s Christmas Cookbook: Favorite Recipes and Holiday Traditions from My Home to Yours. Part cookbook, part inspiration, Macomber introduces recipes for breakfast, a Christmas open house or tea, appetizers, holiday dinner, desserts, and edible gifts. And in her amiable style, Macomber discusses cooking with the grandkids as well as making mealtime quick and easy. Sample recipe ideas include Banana Nutella Crepe Cake – which is divine –Butternut Squash Bisque with Jarlsberg Toast, Classic  Bread Stuffing with Leeks and Bacon, and Cider-Glazed Roast Turkey.

Macomber doesn’t stop with recipes, even though you’ll find over one hundred favorites. She also offers ideas for holiday table settings, decorations, and crafts. Plus, each section features a family story that undoubtedly will evoke memories from Christmases past.”It always seemed that the casserole finished baking before we were through opening gifts, so we’d take a break and concentrate on breakfast. What I remember most about those Christmas breakfasts wasn’t the meal itself (delicious though it was); what lingers in my mind is the conversation around the table.”

Stunning photography illustrates the recipes and decorating tips, proving that you, too, can whip up a storybook holiday celebration. Fans of Macomber’s fiction know that Debbie knows Christmas and brings small-town charm to life. They won’t be disappointed with this non-fiction work either.

“It always seemed that the casserole finished baking before we were through opening gifts, so we’d take a break and concentrate on breakfast. What I remember most about those Christmas breakfasts wasn’t the meal itself (delicious though it was); what lingers in my mind is the conversation around the table.”

Reviewed by LuAnn Schindler