The 12 Days of Christmas Cookbook: The Ultimate in Effortless Holiday Entertaining

Marla Tipton. Uhrichsville, Ohio: DayMaker-Barbour Publishing, 2010.  224 pp. (Hardback).

Although no holiday entertaining is likely to be effortless, this cookbook does offer help for the busy hostess. The 12 chapters, not really related to the well-known Christmas song except in number, contain fairly simple recipes for everything from appetizers and breakfast foods to dishes kids can cook. While many of the dishes are old standards, like Red Velvet Cake, a number of the recipes are new, like the Holiday Breakfast Grits that incorporate eggnog and blueberries.

The book is laced liberally with hints and tips for entertaining, as well as encouragement from Scripture. Beautiful color illustrations make it difficult to resist trying some of the dishes.