The holiday season is here, and that often means, among other things, eating lots of food with lots of family. Of course, everyone’s holidays (and families) are different, but I would imagine that many people have a meal or two coming up that will be more crowded than normal, more festive than normal, and probably a little more hectic than normal. What’s that I hear…more stressful than normal? Who said that?? Oh wait, I did.

No matter. I can admit that family stresses me out, and going this place and that to dine and celebrate this holiday or that achievement with my nearest and dearest can lead me to drink have moments of frustration and/or panic. That’s on the way there. Something always happens though, at these magical, busy, frenzied, loud, alternately endearing and enraging gatherings…and on the way home, I inevitably turn to my husband in the car (bless his heart for not just leaving me at my childhood home after one of these meals…yet) and say ‘that wasn’t bad at all…I really had a nice time…we should all see each other more often!’ Yes, the family meal is something special, filling the mind, heart and belly at the same time. It strengthens family bonds, and it provides comfort in many ways.

Apparently I’m not the only one who feels that way…there are several new cookbooks out right now that, in addition to having recipes and meal planning advice, focus in some way on the importance of the family meal, of cooking for family and cooking at home. And they do a much better job at it than I do, so without further ado, here are some books I think you should take a look at, and start planning a family meal to remember.

My Family Table: A Passionate Plea For Home Cooking by John Besh, New Orleans chef/restaurateur, James Beard Award-winner; this book has simple but elegant recipes and many photos of family gatherings.

The Family Meal: Home Cooking With Ferran Adria, containing favorite recipes from the famed el Bulli restaurant in Spain, simple enough to be made at home, for gatherings of 2 to 75 (yikes!).

Molto Batali: Simple Family Meals From My Home To Yours contains a year’s worth of seasonal menus meant for sharing and celebrating with the family.

Not long ago, I posted about a great book called The Crabby Cook Cookbook. After reading this collection of culinary treats and horror stories, I started thinking about humor in cooking and why it’s so darn appealing. Certainly we’ve all had our moments in the kitchen when the best thing to do is, well, laugh about it.

In my own family, we’ve actually given numbers to some of our cooking stories. As in #9 – the year when my mother thawed the Thanksgiving turkey on top of the refrigerator for a big family feast. To her chagrin, this did not deter our two sneaky cats. Who managed to jump seven feet and gnaw through the wrapping AND the turkey breast before she returned. Back then, there were no 24 hour grocery stores and everything was closed. So she did what she had to (i.e., cut out the chewed parts.) And told everyone the turkey was a mutant.

So in keeping with the topic of comic kitchens, I searched for more cooking titles that tickle the funny bone. They may not always inspire you to try the recipes. But they are guaranteed to make you laugh. And, hopefully, without squirting milk out your nose!

The Gallery of Regrettable Food (2001) by James Lileks. The book cover says it all – “liberties taken with peas, random meats, salty salts – highlights from classic American recipe books.” But classic only in the tabloid 1940′s to 60′s. Otherwise known as the Golden Age of Salt and Starch. Where else would one find some of the worst recipes and badly photographed foods ever? Complete with chapters like “Glop in a Pot,” “Submit to the Power of Ketchup,” and “Poultry for the Glum,” this book shows in vivid color just how frightening a jello mold can be.

I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (2006) by Amy Sedaris. Whatever your take is on this author and humorist, this witty book contains over 100 recipes, menus for all types of special occasions, and even decorating and crafting ideas for the non-humor impaired. Sedaris’s one-liners, snappy stories, and staged photos make the pages fly.

The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner) (2003) by Jill Conner Browne. The third book by Boss Queen Conner Brown and her wild, in-your-face Sweet Potato Queens, this time they take on Betty Crocker and the tyranny of haute cuisine. As well as financial planners like Suze Orman (financial tip #1: hope Big Daddy don’t die first.)  Full of artery clogging recipes and hilarious anecdotes about life after forty.

Truth be told, I’m not really. I enjoy the “joy of cooking”. Other than when working until 7 p.m. And coming home to find my nearest and dearest wasting away, wondering if dinner will be on his plate in five minutes. Even then, I enjoy the act of preparing a meal to be shared. Though, in fact, it may end up being salad in a bag with take out pizza (as always, thank you Pagliai’s!)

But for those who don’t enjoy the act, have picky eaters to feed, or simply have more to do than cooking a five course meal from scratch each day allows, there’s a great new book at ICPL. The Crabby Cook Cookbook, by Jessica Harper, is a compendium of “almost effortless” recipes and plenty of survival tips from a writer who is a born storyteller. In fact, Harper is a movie actress (anyone remember the cult movies The Phantom of the Paradise or Suspira?) She’s also a children’s musician and author, and a wickedly funny lady. Her sense of humor and clear expertise in the kitchen shine throughout the book, making it a fun read whether you’re standing in the kitchen or not. And the recipes sound both tasty and easy to make!

Here are just a few of the storytelling recipes she shares with readers: the Hell of Lasagna; the Famous Tuna Melt of ’96; the Killer Cheese Ball; Pain-in-the-Ass Minestrone; Dog-Proof Caprese Salad; and, Criminal Coconut Cake.

Jessica Harper isn’t just fun to read though. She also has a website called, not surprisingly, The Crabby Cook.  There you can find more kitchen survival ideas and tips plus some hilarious video clips. Take a look at Harper’s sly and clever approach to cooking for a ladies book group:

http://thecrabbycook.com/cool-products/book-group/

Julia Child might end this with a hearty “bon appetite!” I’ll just say try cooking “The Crabby Cook” way, then kick off your shoes and relax…