Shake Up the Menu for Your Holiday Gatherings

These mouth-watering recipes from five new cookbooks will inspire you to try something new

Jennifer Bradley Franklin,

AARP

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Published November 01, 2023

Johnny Miller

Whether you’re hosting a big celebration or an intimate gathering, these five delicious recipes from newly released cookbooks will provide the inspiration you need to wow your guests this holiday season.

french onion dip in bowl with chips on platter around it

Eva Kolenko

French Onion Greek Yogurt Dip

New York Times bestselling author and recipe developer behind the popular Skinnytaste.com, Gina Homolka is known for using wholesome ingredients to create healthy recipes the whole family will love. In her latest cookbook, Skinnytaste Simple: Easy, Healthy Recipes with 7 Ingredients or Fewer, she focuses on crowd-pleasing dishes. Homolka’s French Onion Greek Yogurt Dip packs in protein from plain whole-milk Greek yogurt and rich flavors from caramelized onions. Make it ahead of time as an ideal appetizer for any gathering.

Get recipe: French Onion Greek Yogurt Dip

fried chicken with lemon next to it on plate

B.J. Golnick

Lemon Buttermilk Fried Chicken Drizzled with Honey

Magnolia Network fans will recognize Elizabeth Poett as the sunny star of the popular show Ranch to Table. She’s known for using ingredients raised and grown on her family’s 14,000-acre California property, and in her first book, The Ranch Table: Recipes from a Year of Harvests, Celebrations, and Family Dinners on a Historic California Ranch, the seventh-generation cattle rancher showcases beautifully presented, seasonal recipes fit for a hungry crew. Try your hand at her Lemon Buttermilk Fried Chicken Drizzled with Honey, which dials up the flavors of traditional fried chicken and will have your guests going back for seconds.

Get recipe: Lemon Buttermilk Fried Chicken Drizzled with Honey

brisket cut into slices with fork and knife next to it on wood

Maeve Bargman

Go Off, Brisket

Friendsgiving — a gathering of your chosen loved ones around a festive table — isn’t bound by traditional dishes such as turkey, gravy and stuffing. And in The Friendsgiving Cookbook: 50 Recipes for Hosting, Roasting, and Celebrating with Friends, Taylor Vance shares feel-good recipes to please a wide range of palates and preferences. His Go Off, Brisket recipe uses a pressure cooker and ingredients like apple cider and fresh thyme to create a main course that’s fall-apart tender. It’s a surefire way to create an impressive, hearty dish without spending all day in the kitchen.

Get recipe: Go Off, Brisket

Jenna Sparks

Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Fall is prime time for comforting, warming dishes, and few evoke the season quite like mashed sweet potatoes. In her book Muy Bueno: FIESTAS: 100+ Delicious Mexican Recipes for Celebrating the Year, Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack shares an inventive Latin-inspired take on a classic. Using orange juice and orange zest and two kinds of chile peppers, this sweet, smooth and slightly spicy side dish is sure to become a family favorite.

Get recipe: Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Johnny Miller

Downy Pumpkin Bundt with Maple Cream

Baking is all about science, and as a result, it can feel a little daunting. James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author, recipe developer and food stylist Samantha Seneviratne aims to demystify baking in her new book Bake Smart: Sweets and Secrets from My Oven to Yours, which contains 100 recipes and lots of practical tips to make baking more fun and your creations more successful. Her recipe for Downy Pumpkin Bundt with Maple Cream is filled with pumpkin spice flavors that scream “fall!” Bonus: The finished product is so beautiful, it can double as a work of art on your holiday table.

Get recipe: Downy Pumpkin Bundt with Maple Cream

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Jennifer Bradley Franklin is an Atlanta-based journalist, editor and author who has contributed to the Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, People magazine, USA Today and others. She's an avid traveler, ballroom dancer and is more than a little coffee obsessed. Read more of her work at jenniferbradleyfranklin.com.