Book Review: The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook

I love food. I love eating it. I love cooking it. It makes me happy. And, awhile back I lost nearly hundred pounds using the South Beach Diet, so I was excited as all get out to hear that they were putting out a holiday and party cookbook. Because, if there is anything better than cooking and eating food, it is cooking and eating food with or for people you like!

The cookbook is divided into two parts, Parties and Holidays, and has set menus that all include a "game plan" so that you know what can be done ahead, how ahead things can be done and what absolutely has to be done on the day. Also, at the beginning of the book there is a "Checklist for Success" that includes important things about party planning. These are things that I always forget but are extremely helpful, such as a reminder to decide where you'll have your guests put their coats. (Which I never would have remembered to do for a Christmas party I'm hosting had it not been for the book.)

The general parties include things like "Phase 1 kickoff party", baby shower, brunch, hors d'oeuvers, and a Super Bowl party. The second section includes menus for New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, Cinco de Mayo, Hanukkah, and of course Thanksgiving and Christmas. The recipes are all labeled as to which phase they are in and at first glance they all top shelf. The moment I made it through my first read of the cookbook, I knew I had to dive right in and try a few recipes.  The recipes generally serve between eight and 12 (except for Valentine's Day, for which the recipes appropriately only serve two). So, when I do use the recipes for a party, there won't be any awkward doubling or tripling.

I started with the stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving. Turkey Sausage and Pear Stuffing is a phase 2 recipe that was easy to make and was also very tasty. The sausage combined with the sage and pear were an excellent compliment to the turkey. This was an excellent wholegrain answer to a traditional dish. And, I tried Easter recipe of Herb and Garlic Roasted Leg of Lamb for Christmas Dinner, which was amazing. The recipes were easy to follow, and weren't too complicated, which is always appreciated.

This cookbook is an excellent addition to my South Beach collection, and I can't wait to cook out of it in the New Year!

Article Author: Katharine Donelson

Katharine Donelson is a student of Linguistics, Communication and Welsh. She currently lives with her formerly feral cat and spends her time learning Welsh vocabulary, listening to music, watching films, photographing the local scenery and maintaining her blog The Film Noir Experience. …

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