Long before I started writing the seasonal previews of new cookbooks at Epi, I was fixated on getting—and giving—cookbooks as presents. I can't speak for anyone who's gotten a book from me over the years, but when I'm on the receiving end, a cookbook gift always feels extra special. I still have the cookbook from a popular London noodle shop my sister gave to me when I was twelve, and the Alice Waters and Tamar Adler books I received in high school. To me, a new cookbook is the ideal present for home cooks—something that keeps you going long after the box of seasonal cocoa is gone, the cookie tin is empty, and the fancy new gadget has lost its luster.
Taco Bell Is Bringing Back Its Cheesiest Menu Item
Taco Bell is bringing back the cheesy Toasted Cheddar Chalupa but is adding a vegetarian option called the Black Bean Toasted Cheddar Chalupa.Both the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa and the Black Bean Toasted Cheddar Chalupa are cheesier upgrades of the original Taco Bell Chalupa. This iconic menu item features a flatbread shell with seasoned beef, a three-cheese blend, lettuce, tomatoes, and reduced-fat sour cream. Take all of that and wrap it in a six-month aged cheddar toasted shell and you've got the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa. But swap the meat for beans and you've got the newest addition to the Veggie Cravings section of the menu.
Ring in the New Year with these easy party appetizers ! 3. Sheet Pan Lime Chicken Nachos – Easy to make delicious nachos baked on a sheet pan and loaded with beans, corn, chicken, and cheese!
New Year ' s celebration off to a rocking start with some of JoCooks.com's top appetizer recipes. 4. Easy Meatballs – These easy meatballs are a popular Romanian dish, easy to make and perfect 9. Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks – delicious zucchini sticks breaded with Panko breadcrumbs and
The only thing that makes that gift better in my mind is bundling the book with something specific that relates to its recipes. Sometimes this can be as simple as a hand-carved olive wood spoon, for a book filled with dishes—like curries and soups—that tend to linger a long while on the stovetop. Other times, it's a hard-to-find ingredient that a cook might skip over out of a sense of economy. Or, now and then, it's a really fantastic version of a pantry staple, like particularly fragrant cumin, or the creamiest tahini.
Of course, your all-time favorite cookbooks make great candidates for gifts—but just in case you're looking for something new, below are five stellar new books from 2020, with a few ideas on what to give alongside to round out the gift.
The One Vitamin Doctors Are Urging Everyone To Take Right Now
The vitamin is known to support the immune system, which is key for maintaining good health as the nation enters the second wave of coronavirus.Vitamin D is known to offer many health benefits. In fact, if you don't get enough of the nutrient, your body can become more susceptible to infection and even experience impaired wound healing. The vitamin plays more key roles in the body than you may think. In another article, Nicole Avena, Ph.D.
Start the New Year off right with the perfect New Years Eve finger foods. Need some company-worthy nosh for your New Year ' s Eve party? Start the New Year in style by passing around a tray of these elegant Smoked Salmon Pinwheels. "These make such quick and delicious appetizers .
Recipes and advice for throwing a 2019 New Year ' s Party, including recipes for appetizers , roasts, and bubbly Champagne cocktails. Delicious bites to serve with fizzy cocktails, plus entertaining tips and more. Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog.
One more added perk? Making a cookbook bundle gives you an excuse to read the book before giving it—a treat for every former kid who tried to read the gift on the way to the party.
Chicano Eats by Esteban Castillo and heirloom masa and beans
This debut cookbook from recipe developer and food blogger Esteban Castillo is full of thoughtfully-written, unfussy dishes that deliver, like spicy sambal shrimp tacos and guava cheesecake bars. In the pantry section, Castillo recommends quality masa from Masienda, or Rancho Gordo for heirloom beans. As a recent Rancho Gordo convert, I couldn't agree more. A bag or two of pintos, flageolets, or Santa Maria pinquitos will come packed with more flavor and texture than your lucky recipient might have known was possible. Castillo will walk them through how best to use them in a recipe for brothy, bacon-studded cowboy beans or a pot of classic, herby stovetop beans.
Hey, Picky Eaters! We Made A Cookbook Just For You
And for parents, friends, roommates, and partners of picky ones, too.Packed with 75+ delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas, this essential cookbook is your gateway to more—more ingredients, textures, and flavors that everyone at the table will love.
Keep reading to learn about 14 delicious and healthy appetizers to help you ring in the New To incorporate these favorites into New Year ' s Eve party appetizers , pair them with savory trimmings. Make sure you send guests home with some good luck for the New Year . An old Southern tradition is
Followers. Recipe to celebrate New Years Eve . Two-bite cherry and dark chocolate chip treats inspired by the Aussie bite Costco snacks that are so easy to make !
© Provided by Epicurious Chicano Eats: Recipes from My Mexican-American Kitchen
$29.00, Amazon
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Rancho Gordo Pinto Beans, 1 Pound Bag
$6.00, Rancho Gordo
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Chef Grade Blue Masa Flour
$10.00, Masienda
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Handmade Teak Spoons, Set of 3
$35.00, Etsy
BUY NOW TOC Community Cookbook and a cookbook stand
Pre-pandemic, chef Evan Hanczor hosted a monthly dinner based around a new piece of writing, complete with a new, lit-inspired tasting menu each time. Now, he and the rest of the Tables of Contents team have asked some of those literary talents to create a community cookbook, the proceeds of which will go to New York's food relief group, FIG (or Food Issues Group). The book contains 35 personal recipes from novelists, poets, and essayists, including Alexander Chee, Carmen Maria Machado, and Emma Straub. Wondering what to give alongside this book? Any lover of literature will also appreciate a cookbook stand—or a notebook for jotting down their own community recipes.
11 ways being frugal can help you reach your money goals
11 ways being frugal can help you reach your money goals
© Provided by Epicurious Tables of Contents Community Cookbook
$35.00, Tables of Contents
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Yamazaki Home Tosca Cookbook Stand
$18.00, West Elm
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Papier Cook's Notebook
$27.00, Papier
BUY NOW Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark and, well, bitter honey
Letitia Clark's collection of comforting, casual Sardinian fare calls for very few speciality ingredients—but it's impossible to open the book without wondering about bitter honey, or miele di corbezzolo. The honey, which depends on a low-nectar tree that only flowers for two months of a year, has an initial sweet flavor that turns to a pleasantly earthy bitterness. Clark will teach readers to drizzle it upon toasts smeared with goat cheese or on pecorino-stuffed fried ravioli.
© Provided by Epicurious Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark
$40.00, Bookshop
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Luigi Manias Corbezzolo Honey
$32.00, Amazon
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Handmade Ceramic Honey Pot
$46.00, Etsy
BUY NOW Chaat by Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy and spices
Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy's book traces a path around India by train, punctuated by the colorful, texture-rich, beautiful little snacks called chaat. Chaat's a national concept, but of course these snacks are wildly varied, given the diversity of the nation's regional cuisines. Still, there are some commonalities in their respective ingredient lists—particularly in the spices. Chaat masala, a tangy, earthy blend used in many recipes, will come in handy. You can make your own, but why not give the book alongside Spicewalla's blend? Does your lucky recipient have more of a sweet tooth?Consider a bottle of aromatic cardamom from Burlap & Barrel. It will quickly be put to use in Gajar ka Halwa, a carrot pudding with saffron and pistachios, and frothy faloodas.
This Is the Fast-Food Chain With the Most Locations in America
While McDonald’s restaurants generate nearly twice the annual revenue of Subway restaurants, Subway’s locations outnumber all other chains.That's right, the chain that's home to the quintessential footlong sub has more locations in the country than fast-food giant, Mickey D's. At present, there are 14,428 McDonald's locations in the U.S. to Subway's 22,275. Worldwide, there are more than 36,000 McDonald's restaurants compared to over 42,600 Subway locations. (Related: 9 Restaurant Chains That Closed Hundreds of Locations This Summer.
© Provided by Epicurious Chaat by Maneet Chauhan
$29.00, Amazon
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Spicewalla Chaat Masala
$9.00, Spicewalla
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Burlap & Barrel Cloud Forest Cardamom
$10.00, Burlap & Barrel
BUY NOW Eating Out Loud by Eden Grinshpan and tahini and halva
Top Chef Canada host Eden Grinshpan's book would be great for entertaining—but during quarantine, I've found myself turning to it again and again for weeknight dinners. Favorites include a whole-roasted broccoli drizzled with an herbed yogurt, an easy pita recipe, and most importantly, her salted halva chocolate chip cookies. Eden's stated previously that she's a fan of the tahini from sister-run brand Soom, as well as New York-based Seed & Mill—information I took as an excuse to immediately stock up. Many batches of cookies later, I can't recommend the book—with the cookie page bookmarked, and a nice hunk of halva or creamy jar of tahini—enough.
© Provided by Epicurious Eating Out Loud: Bold Middle Eastern Flavors for All Day, Every Day
$30.00, Amazon
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Soom Tahini, Pack of 2
$16.00, Amazon
BUY NOW © Provided by Epicurious Seed + Mill Halva Trio
$45.00, Amazon
BUY NOW 
After months of being reduced to drive-thru service and having to cut various menu items, Taco Bell is finally able to bring back breakfast at most stores.At the onset of the crisis, parent company Yum Brands said the decline in Taco Bell's overall sales was largely attributable to a severe drop in both late-night and breakfast sales. "The breakfast business is impacted when people aren't on the roads going to work," CEO David Gibbs said in late April, as quoted by Nation's Restaurant News. "They're not going through your drive-thru for breakfast as much. 
Taco Bell is bringing back the cheesy Toasted Cheddar Chalupa but is adding a vegetarian option called the Black Bean Toasted Cheddar Chalupa.Both the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa and the Black Bean Toasted Cheddar Chalupa are cheesier upgrades of the original Taco Bell Chalupa. This iconic menu item features a flatbread shell with seasoned beef, a three-cheese blend, lettuce, tomatoes, and reduced-fat sour cream. Take all of that and wrap it in a six-month aged cheddar toasted shell and you've got the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa. But swap the meat for beans and you've got the newest addition to the Veggie Cravings section of the menu. 
The vitamin is known to support the immune system, which is key for maintaining good health as the nation enters the second wave of coronavirus.Vitamin D is known to offer many health benefits. In fact, if you don't get enough of the nutrient, your body can become more susceptible to infection and even experience impaired wound healing. The vitamin plays more key roles in the body than you may think. In another article, Nicole Avena, Ph.D. 
And for parents, friends, roommates, and partners of picky ones, too.Packed with 75+ delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas, this essential cookbook is your gateway to more—more ingredients, textures, and flavors that everyone at the table will love. 
11 ways being frugal can help you reach your money goals 
While McDonald’s restaurants generate nearly twice the annual revenue of Subway restaurants, Subway’s locations outnumber all other chains.That's right, the chain that's home to the quintessential footlong sub has more locations in the country than fast-food giant, Mickey D's. At present, there are 14,428 McDonald's locations in the U.S. to Subway's 22,275. Worldwide, there are more than 36,000 McDonald's restaurants compared to over 42,600 Subway locations. (Related: 9 Restaurant Chains That Closed Hundreds of Locations This Summer. 
Stress from an unprecedented year could lead to conflict during Thanksgiving. Here's how to handle a political debate at dinner.Stress from COVID-19, health care, the economy, racism and the presidential election is threatening American's mental health, according to the annual “Stress in America” survey from the American Psychological Association. Stress or feeling overwhelmed is the primary reason people cite for being rude, which has the potential to ignite conflict during the holidays, according to Christine Porath, a professor at Georgetown University and the author of "Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace. 
Taco Bell Is Bringing Back This Major Menu Section 
Taco Bell Is Bringing Back Its Cheesiest Menu Item 
The One Vitamin Doctors Are Urging Everyone To Take Right Now 
Hey, Picky Eaters! We Made A Cookbook Just For You 
11 ways being frugal can help you reach your money goals 
This Is the Fast-Food Chain With the Most Locations in America 
How to navigate awkward political conversations at Thanksgiving dinner after a 
This Beloved Burger Chain Just Released a New Chicken Sandwich 
