Christmas with Paula Deen

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY OCT 15, 2007

Christmas, that time of good cheer and lapsed diets, is the perfect holiday to showcase the cooking of Food Network star Deen (Paula Deen Celebrates!), who specializes in the kind of butter-and cheese-laden fare that epitomizes family-style comfort food. Sweets and snacks account for most of the recipes, since Deen happily admits to never varying from her Christmas dinner menu, which centers on a Standing Rib Roast and features a trio of potato dishes, including some unbelievably decadent Cr me Fra che Mashed Potatoes. Cooks will find the cookies and desserts familiar but richer, like eyebrow-raising but delicious Chocolate Cheese Fudge and creamy Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. Snacks and breakfast dishes are crowd pleasers, like gooey Praline French Toast Casserole and Cheese-coated Bacon Wraps. Devoted viewers of Deen's show may miss the sound of her warm drawl narrating the process, but the smattering of glowing family photos and anecdotes about her grown kids and recent marriage, though she's told them before, are decent stand-ins. Several pages of baking hints are included, but most of the recipes are simple and straightforward enough, with readily available ingredients, that even novices should be able to put together a generous Christmas spread.