Stylish, practical meals that put vegetables first, by "an authentic culinary star" (Boston Globe) and the founding food editor of Martha Stewart Living. After spending two decades at a leading lifestyle magazine, Susan Spungen is used to the questions cooks ask her in the produce aisle and at the farmers' market. Do you have a great zucchini recipe? What can you do with garlic scapes? What's an easy seasonal meal I can make for friends? In Veg Forward, the veteran cookbook author, columnist, and culinary consultant supplies the delicious answers, with 102 recipes in which vegetables claim a starring role. Big platter salads. Soups for muggy days when all anyone can manage is to run the blender. Warm-weather grain bowls. Freeform fruit tarts and snacking cakes. Each one coaxes a maximum amount of flavor from a minimum number of ingredients; each looks as good as it tastes. Veg Forward is full of extraordinary recipes for ordinary vegetables like tomatoes, corn, and potatoes, and it also offers beguiling choices for less familiar ones like fava beans, kohlrabi, and nettles. Spungen shares scores of tips from her years as a caterer and chef: the efficient vegetable prep technique professionals use, a genius tactic for cutting into hard squash, the single finishing touch that transforms a homey fruit dessert into something spectacular. Everything in this book makes cooking with vegetables easier, better, and more satisfying. Asparagus Pizza with Arugula Salad Sungold Spaghetti Carbonara Sheet-Pan Roasted Ratatouille Spoonbread-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Tomato Cream Simple Gazpacho * Eggplant Parm and Pasta Bake Veggie Ragu Bolognese * Mushroom Bourguignon Cheese Blintzes with Sour Cherry Compote Chocolate Zucchini Bread Susan Spungen was the editorial director for food at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. A New York Times contributor who also writes Susanality, a Substack newsletter, she was the culinary consultant and food stylist for the hit movies Julie & Julia and Eat, Pray, Love. She is the author of Open Kitchen, Recipes, and What's a Hostess to Do?. She lives in New York City and East Hampton, New York.

Here is a collection of recipes that makes entertaining easy for any occasion - whether it's a cocktail hour, a brunch, a dinner party, or an elaborate holiday feast Recipes for Lobster Salad, Tarragon Roasted Chicken, Potato Gratin, and Chocolate Souffle make for an easy-to-make foolproof dinner menu that even complete novices can master; cheat sheets like Ten Quick Hors d'Oeuvres and Five Entree Salads make entertaining a crowd cheaper and easierthan ever; and recipes for high-stakes holiday meals like Roasted Fillet of Beef or Roasted Turkey Parts elevate the classic crowd-pleasers to dishes that guests will rave about for months. Party Food, Holiday Cocktails, and Holiday Cookies, three new titles in the Artisanal Kitchen series, provide an indispensable arsenal of recipes that cover all the bases for a delicious holiday season.

In What's a Hostess to Do?, entertaining expert Susan Spungen explains everything you need to know to host a party effortlessly and with elegance. Susan shows the hostess how to make it look easy--whether the occasion is an informal brunch, a sit-down dinner, a buffet for a crowd, or an impromptu birthday celebration. It's all arranged in 313 easy-to-digest entries that take readers through every aspect of entertaining. The tips are time-saving ("Ten Great Assembled Dessets"), money-saving ("In Praise of Cheap Wine"), energy-saving ("Ten Jobs to Delegate"), and face-saving ("How to Handle Uninvited Guests"), plus there are 121 recipes to make entertaining easier than ever berfore. With helpful illustrations and full-color photographs, What's a Hostess to Do? is a stylish and instructive guide filled with expert advice from a party-throwing pro.