WINNER ANNOUNCED: Commenter #49. RJ says “Anything with pork!!”
“Savory Sweet Life is the perfect title for this book. Most of us either cook or bake; Alice does both – beautifully. Savory Sweet Life offers a peek into Alice’s kitchen, one simple celebration at a time. With James Beard’s ‘I don’t like gourmet cooking…I like good cooking’ epigraph as her guide, she shares creative, appealing recipes that bear all the signs of a savvy cook.”
Mom received the book before I did and I remember her calling me and saying, “I just looked through Alice’s book. She’s a good cook, Maggy, she really knows food. And she’s one hell of a photographer!” My Mom is one of the kindest, most generous people I have ever met. But she doesn’t pass out compliments like that willy nilly.
When my copy arrived, I paged through the book making notes of what I wanted to make first (tough choice!). Alice’s recipes are broad in scope from rich, indulgent desserts and appetizers to light, weeknight suppers and sides. But they are all something I’d want to eat! (And her photography makes the book even more appealing.)
Alice’s philosophy is clear and one that this family can certainly get behind: celebrating life moments (big and small) with loved ones around a table filled with fun, home-cooked food. From afternoon tea parties and snow days to Dad’s birthday and welcome home celebrations, Alice has a recipe that will have your loved ones running to the table. And in my opinion, that is just what a good cookbook should do.
Here’s a sneak peak at a few more recipes that really caught my eye in Savory Sweet Life:
Breakfast Pizza, Chocolate Cookies ‘n’ Cream Dairy-Free “Ice Cream”, Spicy Bacon Spinach Artichoke Dip, The Ultimate Breakfast Pan “Cake” (I can’t even comprehend how much excitement this would bring to a kid!)
We are giving away one copy of Alice’s new book Savory Sweet Life. To enter, simply answer this question in the comments section: What do you cook for your family and friends when you have something to celebrate?
Giveaway ends on Sunday, June 16 at 9 PM EST.
steak and potatoes!
I always like to bake desserts and snacks for everyone when they are over for something to celebrate! I’ve tried making chicken parmesan and it was a big hit for the guests! But, my passion has always been towards baking!! I like baking for my classmates when we have 6 hour class days! It always seems to get people to put smiles on their face!
Whatever they ask for! We all like to try new recipes. Having a dinner consisting of several appetizers is a favorite theme, though — we do LOVE our appetizers!
Lamb! We grill a butterflied leg.
Something rich and decadent involving red meat, because we don’t cook red meat that often. Such as Steak Diane. Or all-beef chili.
i may be a bit out of the norm but i like to try new things when celebrating. people are more forgiving if they are in a celebratory mood!
I will either make an oven baked pasta that I can do ahead or a pot roast which can also be done ahead.
I cook a steak dinner .
I will make my butterflied roast chicken with lemons and thyme with roasted fingerling potatoes and carrots with parsley. Then for dessert my egg nog cheesecake with ginger crust with strawberry sauce…so good!
I bake my famous chocolate chip cookies for every family celebration – it’s tradition!
I love to make pork carnitas, with all the toppings on the table for everyone to create their own masterpiece!
When we celebrate we either make a tried-and-true chocolate recipe or we try something new – either way, chocolate tends to be the star. The most recent celebration I made chocolate chip yellow cake with my mother-in-law’s chocolate frostinging recipe. It was rich and decadent and has already been requested for next year’s birthday.
I’m the dessert maker in our family. Whenever we have a party I’m always assigned dessert. I love to try new things. Although I do make my favorites for my family I like to try new things when we have a celebration. We always host a Mother’s Day party and I try to come up with a different theme and menu each year. One year I did crepe icecream sundaes for dessert, another year homemade icecream sandwiches, strawberry & cream cake, a chocolate layer torte with chocolate ribbons that I had to run through a pasta machine, . I love to delight friends and family with yummy treats.
Well, if it is their birthday whatever they want. Lately I have been requested to bake my pies and bring them. I love to make pies!
I like to cook Chocolate Zucchini Bread for my family and friends when celebrating!
I usually make their favorite meal or dessert, whatever that is. My parents like things on the grill since they don’t have one so we usually cook out for them. My kids have their own specials: steak, chicken or my other son will eat anything. When we have parties, I like to try new recipes. I know you are not supposed to do that but I just love to do it and I usually cook more food than we need since I love to cook and I love to try new recipes. By the way, I love the cookbook- I checked it out at the library and lots of great recipes!!
Tough question! I guess steaks or shrimp, but our family cooks a wide variety of meals for when we get together. We do the traditional Turkey or Ham for the major holidays and something on the grill for the summer holidays.
The main dish changes – depending on who and how many people. Dessert – unless it’s a crowd, I usually make a fruit pie.
I always make a buttermilk chocolate from The Contessa. For the main dish I usually make something out of Pam’s One Dish Dinners
Main: A roast of some sort; prime rib or lamb
Sides: Something rich like goat cheese mashed potatoes with chives – full fat cream and lots of butter
Dessert: A seasonal fruit cheesecake cooked in a waterbath with a fruit compote on the side. It’s labor intensive but the rewards are great.
I would fix steak or marinated pork tenderloin for a celebration!
This time of year it would be steak or seafood on the grill. But I also tend to try out new recipes when I have a celebratory crowd.
Grill something yummy!
If my sons are visiting, I like to make either sweet & sour pork or cannelloni which were favorites when growing up. Now it’s fun to watch them cook in their own kitchen.
Homemade pizza, baked on the pizza stone!
My men love to smoke meat. Its usually an all out feast with 2 professional chefs and many foodies in the family.
A pasta dish; baked zita dish or lasagna with fresh grilled veggies and, cheesy bread. For dessert we make home made ice cream and home made brownies.
My guys like grilled steak and something chocolate for dessert.
I like to have a steak dinner
steak and potatoes on the grill.
The main course usually depends on who we’re celebrating. It could be eggplant parm for my daughter or son, fried oysters and crab cakes for my husband or chicken fingers and boxed mac and cheese for my grandkids (their request-not mine).
I usually make a dessert – my favorite one at the moment is the strawberry summer cake from Smitten Kitchen.
I’ll make the favorite meal for what ever it is we are celebrating, for instance Chicken Marsala for my husband and something Greek for the rest of the family and friends.
I like to cook tried and true comfort foods that my family all love, but then try to wow them with a new side dish or dessert.
We celebrate with grilled steak and seasonal sides. Dessert is a must! Usually chocolate.
Usually Lasagna. Everybody loves it from the kids to the grandparents!
Thank you!
Lately the most requested meal is a grilled salmon sandwich with a dill caper sauce.We pair that with roasted yams and potatoes and a crunchy green salad.
Our dessert favorite is a fruit pie.
This time of the year, it would be something on the grill. I always like to try something new because I enjoy cooking.
The main dish varies as to who is coming over. I am known for my pies and that is what is expected for desert. Even at potlucks I have to take pies. To Kate C., i find it no more difficult to make 1-4 pies if you are making the same kind. Just doubling or so forth the ingredients hardly takes more time than doing one pie. It’s getting everything together for me.
Grilled ribeye, grilled veggies, and an apricot/pineapple pie.
A favorite at our family gatherings are Korean Mondu dumplings we usually deep fry them but I like to cook them up and put them in soup too.
If the celebration a summer one, than babyback ribs on the grill, homemade coleslaw and potato salad and strawberry short cake make up our favorite menu.
For my boyfriend’s birthday, anniversary or other speical occasions it is always steak and mashed potatoes! For a welcome to Denver party this weekend I’m bringing cole slaw and homemade salsa (PW’s recipe, of course)!
I like to make a multi-course dinner paired with different wines. Something to go with sparkling to start with. Then a salad, followed by a thick filet, or super-thick bone-in ribeye done no more than medium-rare for the main course, served with an older Cabernet. A potato gratin or some really creamy mashed potatoes go great with steak. For dessert, something lemony.
A favorite is steak, totellini ceasar salad. It’s easy, hearty and looks fancy.
Lasagna!
Filet Mignon with drilled pesto shrimp! YUM! Glad I found your site!
I am single and come from a family of great home cooks (traditional soul food). I prepare a chicken with olive oil, lots of garlic, green/red peppers and onion with diced/stewed/ or roasted tomatoes baked until done and spooned over brown jasmine rice. Our family traditionally cooks soul food, yet we try to take it to another level by adding less fat, more fresh herbs and spices, however, as we have lost our grandmother, great aunts and moms, the next generation ( my brother, cousins and I) are bringing a newer, healther version to our favorites. We are now responsible for family holidays and/or special event dinners. It is bittersweet, but its now our repsonsibility to bring pleasure to our family and others with my (our)version s of “good food”.
Anything with pork!!
usually it’s a grilled steak dinner, side of their choice, champagne and “green” cake or pistachio cake!