Cookbook Collection Giveaway

I pick up a new favorite cookbook about once a month. I find it inspiring to read through the recipes and I always pick a few to try right away, then I save them on a shelf to refer back to later when I need more inspiration. Last year I did a major purging of my cookbook shelves so I could make room for the new favorites that invariably roll in, but I have to admit that it was hard to let them go.

For todays Kitchen Explorers holiday giveaway, we have hand-picked a collection of our favorite cookbooks to fill the shelves of one Kitchen Explorers reader. (These books will also make great holiday gifts for people on your list!) They include:

Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen by Monica Bhide Modern Spice makes creating modern, stylish and flavorful Indian meals in our home homes not only possible, but quite simple. Monica's highly successful career as a food writer/commenter for Food & Wine, Cooking Light, The New York Times,  NPR, and many others, makes the book a great pleasure to read as well as to cook from.

Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France by Joan Nathan: Joan is the award-winning author of 10 cookbooks, is a regular contributor to the New York Times, and is probably the worlds leading expert on Jewish food around the world. This book also contains one of my favorite cookie recipes, a highly addictive North African melt away cookie made with almonds and powdered sugar.

Ciao Italia Family Classics: More than 200 Treasured Recipes from 3 Generations of Italian Cooks by Mary Ann Esposito Mary Ann is the beloved host of the longest running cooking series in television history, Ciao Italia. In her 11th book, she brings us some of the classic recipes that her family has passed down for generations, like Sicilian Rice Balls and Almond Cheesecake. Her recipes are accessible, easy to make, and guaranteed to be family pleasers.

The United Cakes of America by Warren Brown: Warren is the dynamic found of DC's cakelove bakeries, a former lawyer turned master baker, entrepreneur and entertainer. Warren's second book is absolutely gorgeous, with specialty cakes and desserts recipes from all 50 states plus Washington, DC (of course) and Puerto Rico.

The Six O'Clock Scramble by Aviva Goldfarb: This popular cookbook (by yours truly) walks busy cooks through a year of easy, healthy and family-friendly recipes organized by week and by season, with accompanying grocery lists online. All recipes are family-tested, take 30 minutes or less to prepare and have 10 ingredients or less.