If you have cooks and foodies on your list to shop for this holiday season, the gift of good eats is always well-received. If it arrives in the form of a cookbook they can devour in bed, then put to good use in their kitchen – preferably on a day when you're around. With so many new titles to choose from, here are a few of our favourites.

Back to Baking: 200 Timeless Recipes to Bake, share & Enjoy, by Anna Olson (Whitecap)

Food Network Canada's Anna Olson is back with a new book, and it's all about baking; whether you're after a classic sugar or shortbread cookie or brownie or delving into something more complex, like a torte or an imaginative holiday dessert, Anna provides a reliable framework for all of your baking. With a troubleshooting section as well as tips on accurate measuring, Anna helps novice bakers bypass potential kitchen disasters and guides them to simple success, with plenty of beautiful photos to help them along.

Chef Michael Smith's Kitchen: 100 of My Favourite Easy Recipes, by Chef Michael Smith (Penguin)

Penguin Group Canada | September 6, 2011 | Trade Paperback

Fans of the world's tallest chef will love his latest cookbook, a fabulous new collection of Michael's all-time favourite recipes that he regularly cooks at home. Simple, easy to make and packed with tips, Chef Michael Smith's Kitchen includes 100 recipes-from Oatmeal Crusted French Toast to Honey Mustard Barbecue Baked Baby Back Ribs, innovative side dishes and homey desserts anyone can make at home.

Food From Many Greek Kitchens, By Tessa Kiros (Whitecap)

“In Greece, everyone has a vasilopita (cake) at New Year. The wonderful thing about this cake is that a flouri (coin) is added before baking. If you’re lucky enough to get the piece with the coin, you’ll be blessed for the year. Don’t you love that sense of celebration the Greeks have?” No one captures the spirit and soul of a place quite like Tessa. Her bestselling cookbooks have taken her readers along for the ride on journeys through Tuscany, Portugal, and Venice – and now she ventures into the Greek kitchens of her friends and family.

In My Mother's Kitchen – Three Generations of Simple, Delicious Family Food, by Trish Magwood (Harper Collins Canada)

James Beard award-winning Canadian author Trish Magwood goes back to her roots with a reminiscence of her mother's kitchen. Her mother fed four hungry kids delicious, simple food every day; they always sat at the table, and they always had dessert. Trish loves feeding her three children and husband new recipes, and tried and true favourites from her mother and grandmother. It’s all about preserving the family table, no matter how busy our lives have become. Collected here are early century recipes for tomato butter and crab apple jelly, sixties and seventies classics like cheese soufflé and Cottage Barbecue Pineapple Chicken, and new favourites such as Miami-Style Beef Short Ribs and Mock Butter Chicken. Interspersed are loads of gorgeous photos of food, memorabilia and the family’s kitchen garden.

 

Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood, by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming (Whitecap)

The newest, trendiest superfood, quinoa is gluten-free and nutrient-dense, containing a complete set of amino acids, making it a complete protein on its own. Consumers are getting to know it, but often aren't sure how to cook it or what to do with it; in Quinoa 365 sisters Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming come up with amazing recipe ideas, from soups and salads to gluten free chocolate cake.

The Looneyspoons Collection: Janet & Greta's Greatest Recipe Hits and a Whole Lot More, by Janet and Greta Podleski (Granet Publishing)

Fans of Janet and Gretas first three books are ecstatic over the release of a brand-new book – so much so that their initial printing of 75,000 copies sold out in a few weeks! The book is half best-of recipes from their previous books, half new creations, but all delicious, with the same humour they're so well known for.

Rhulman’s Twenty, by Michael Ruhlman (Chronicle Books)

A self-professed cook’s manifesto, Rhulman’s Twenty is divvied up into twenty essential ideas – from ingredients to techniques – that are guaranteed to make the reader more accomplished in the kitchen. By acclaimed writer and culinary authority Michael Ruhlman, this book will change the way you cook.

Good Food to Share, by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan (Williams-Sonoma)

This stunning book, full of gorgeous photos and great ideas, all centred around throwing parties and small gatherings – really it's all about food bringing people together in all sorts of fun ways. The founding editor of Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn compiled starters, mains, sides, salads and desserts, as well as fun and classic cocktails to help get your party started.

Bal's Quick and Healthy Indian, by Bal Arneson (Whitecap)

Who says Indian cooking has to be complicated? Following the national success of Everyday Indian, author Bal Arneson brings new twists to classic Indian meals in her new book Bal’s Quick and Healthy Indian. These health-conscious recipes will delight those looking for a new and easy way to enjoy low-fat meals while still exploring the adventurous side of cooking. Sure to please even the most sophisticated of Indian palates, these recipes will delight your taste buds, wow your body, and fit into your busy schedule.