From the editors at Southern Living, warm and welcoming holiday recipes and creative ideas for decorating, entertaining, and handmade giftsDiscover fun and creative new ways to decorate, entertain, and handcraft gifts for the holidays. Sparkling menus and easy décor ideas, along with more than 100 brand-new recipes from the professionals of the South’s most trusted kitchen, make entertaining a breeze for celebrations of all sizes. Inside, the editors of Southern Living reveal their favorite cooking tips and make-ahead secrets that take the pressure off hosting and put the focus on family and friends. There is also a special gifts-from-the-kitchen section with recipes for treats to wrap and share. More than 200 photographs show off dazzling holiday decorations and table settings to try, plus inspired designs for holiday wreaths, trees, centerpieces, and mantel arrangements. Christmas with Southern Living is the go-to resource for everything you need to make your holiday bright.

Amazon * B&N * Abrams Books

This is the second year I have been given a copy from Abrams Books as part of Abrams Dinner Party.

I always enjoy looking at the decorating photos because lord knows my house will never inspire any images for their magazine! We don’t go all out for Christmas, but we do a few small things here and there, and that is one aspect I enjoyed about this book was discovering the small touches if you don’t want to decorate fully.

My favorite part is the recipes. I always find a few keeper recipes in the cookbooks I receive. I am especially intrigued by the cookie recipes since my book club does a sweet treat exchange every December. One of these might make it into the mix, like the Gingerbread Cookies, which is a variation on the Iced Sugar cookie recipe.

One recipe I’d love to try is the Fudge Cake with Caramel Bourbon Buttercream. This is one of those decadent desserts you only need a small piece to enjoy. While I would love to try it, I probably won’t unless I can find a way to pawn most of it off to someone else! I don’t need that sort of temptation in my house. But now I’m wondering if I can par it down or make cupcakes out of it in a smaller batch. Something to consider.

One recipe that is getting rave reviews from the other members of the Abrams Dinner Party is the Flaky Skillet Pot Pie. I think a majority have made this dish, and they all loved it. I think that will have to go into the rotation soon.

If you are looking for some twists on traditional dishes for Thanksgiving or Christmas, there is the New School Green Bean Casserole and Oyster Casserole.

One last dish that has caught my eye is the Kalediscope Salad. It is colorful and even somewhat healthy if you don’t think about the bacon drippings used to saute the onions. Mmmmm

This book may not be for everyone, but I enjoy looking through it and planning some potential meals from the recipes included.