Summery Cookbooks for Juneteenth & Beyond
Updated 5/31/2023
If you want to say more than "I carried a watermelon" to the summer parties, picnics, and celebrations in your near future, here are cookbooks focused on seasonal foods, recipes for gatherings with family and friends, and meal ideas for when you can't stand the thought of turning on the stove.
Watermelon & Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations
by Nicole A. Taylor
All-day cook-outs with artful salads, bounteous dessert spreads, and raised glasses of “red drink” are essential to Juneteenth gatherings. In Watermelon and Red Birds, Nicole puts jubilation on the main stage. As a master storyteller and cook, she bridges the traditional African-American table and 21st-century flavors in stories and recipes. Nicole synthesizes all the places we’ve been, all the people we have come from, all the people we have become, and all the culinary ideas we have embraced.
The Green Barbecue Cookbook: Modern Vegetarian Grill and BBQ Recipes
by Martin Nordin
A collection of mouthwatering vegetarian recipes, all of which are cooked with fire. Try a Quinoa and Sweet Potato Burger or a Pizza with Pumpkin and Chanterelles, paired with Oven-Baked Onions and Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Crisps. Plus, you can even try your hand at cocktail recipes, such as Smoky Pineapple Sour and Sangritas.
Salad Freak
by Jess Damuck
Offering more than 100 inspired recipes, recipe developer and food stylist Jess Damuck shares her passion for making truly delicious salads. With the right recipes, you will want to eat salad for every meal and never get bored. Recipes include Citrus Breakfast Salad; Tea-Smoked Chicken and Bitter Greens Salad; Caesar Salad Pizza Salad; and Roasted Grapes, Ricotta, Croutons, and Endive Salad.
Boards: Stylish Spreads for Casual Gatherings
by the editors at America's Test Kitchen; food styling & expert advice by Elle Simone Scott
Presents inspirational and achievable ideas for creating boards—interactive and low-key elegant ways of presenting food—that are sure to be a hit and will help you step-up your presentation skills.
Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico
by Rick Martínez
Highlighting the diversity, richness, and complexity of Mexican cuisine and inspired by his travels, Rick shares recipes based on his taste memories and experiences. True to his spirit and reflective of his deep connections with people and places, these dishes will revitalize your pantry and transform your cooking repertoire.
Sweet Home Café Cookbook: A Celebration of African American Cooking
by Albert Lukas and Jessica B. Harris, with contributions by Jerome Grant
A celebration of African-American cooking by the NMAAHC's Sweet Home Café focuses on locally sourced ingredients and includes modern adaptations of such traditional recipes as Fried Green Tomatoes, Maryland Crab Cakes and Jamaican Grilled Jerk Chicken
At the Table of Power: Food and Cuisine in the African American Struggle for Freedom, Justice, and Equality
by Diane M. Spivey
A cookbook and a culinary history that intertwines social issues, personal stories, and political commentary. From the rural country kitchen and steamboat floating palaces to marketplace street vendors and restaurants in urban hubs of business and finance, Africans in America cooked their way to positions of distinct superiority, and thereby indispensability. Despite their many culinary accomplishments, most Black culinary artists have been made invisible—until now.
Bludso's BBQ Cookbook: A Family Affair in Smoke and Soul
by Kevin Bludso
Sharing 90 delicious recipes for main meats, sides, and desserts, the famous pitmaster and restauranteur behind Bludso’s BBQ presents this must-have cookbook that doubles as a love letter to the often-misunderstood city of Compton and the story of his family and community.
Gelupo Gelato: A Delectable Palette of Ice Cream Recipes
by Jacob Kenedy
Gelupo Gelato presents a rainbow spectrum of simple, sophisticated gelato recipes from tangy Lime Sherbet to fruity Peach & Blood Orange, creamy Marron Glacé, and decadent Chocolate & Whisky. And that's not all! There are definitive recipes for a classic granita (like grown-up slushie), barely-melting semifreddo, ice cream cake, profiteroles, ice cream cones and brioche buns – as well as the only chocolate sauce you'll ever need and a tip sheet for pairing flavors.
Bring It!: Tried and True Recipes for Potlucks and Casual Entertaining
by Ali Rosen
The word "potluck" may inspire memories of church dinners and mystery covered dishes. But today's potlucks are essentially outsourced dinner parties, which make gathering around a shared table a cinch. Inside Bring It!, you will find dozens of impressive-looking recipes that come together easily, and are perfect for carrying to any occasion.
Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African-American Cooking
by Toni Tipton-Martin
Jubilee presents techniques, ingredients, and dishes that show the roots of African American cooking—deeply beautiful, culturally diverse, fit for celebration.
Come On Over: 111 Fantastic Recipes for the Family That Cooks, Eats, and Laughs Together
by Jeff Mauro
For Jeff, there's no better way to create shared memories than over a good meal. In Come On Over he invites everyone to share in the fun, providing delicious recipes for all occasions, from game day to birthdays to brunch, along with fun stories from his life. Whatever the get-together, Jeff has the perfect food to make it memorable and make everyone feel like family.
The Complete Summer Cookbook: Beat the Heat with 500 Recipes That Make the Most of Summer's Bounty
by America's Test Kitchen
The only cookbook you'll need during the year's warmest months. Untether yourself from the oven with make-ahead meals best served cold. Ready to take the party outside? You'll find all you need for casual patio meals prepared entirely on the grill. Throw a fantastic cookout with easy starters, frosty drinks, and picnic must-haves. To end your meal on a cooler note, turn to a chapter of icebox desserts and no-bake sweets.
Sam the Cooking Guy: Between the Buns: Burgers, Sandwiches, Tacos, Burritos, Hot Dogs & More
by Sam Zien
Best-selling author, restaurateur, and online star Sam the Cooking Guy has made millions of mouths water with his sinfully decadent recipes for cheesy, toasty, warm, dripping-with-good-stuff sandwiches and wraps. Dishes include Korean Short Rib Tacos, Pastrami Breakfast Burritos, Chorizo & Guacamole Tortas, Lamb & Feta Burgers, Buffalo Tots, and Cheesesteak Fries.
Crazy for Cookies, Brownies & Bars: Super-Fast, Made-from-Scratch Sweets, Treats, and Desserts
by Dorothy Kern
Kern is one of the most trusted and widely read baking bloggers on Earth—and with good reason. Her tested-to-perfection recipes are easy to make, delectable, and full of creative new flavor ideas. In these pages, she shows you how to make cookies in batches big or small and offers expert tips on how to store them so they stay fresh for a long time. What’s more, she guides you in taking your cookie skills in new directions, into the delectable world of brownies (lots of different kinds of brownies!), blondies, shortbreads, shortcakes, cookie cakes, and more.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.