Independence Day

 However you plan on celebrating the 4th of July, there’s a good chance it involves food, from a day on the lake, to a family cookout on the patio, and BPL has you covered when it comes to finding the perfect recipe! We’ve gathered five of our most American cookbooks, and included their summaries so that you have a chance to see which title is going to complement your Independence Day celebration the best! All of the books listed below can be found in the Adult Department Nonfiction section, but if you’re interested in similar titles, check with a librarian at the front desk. Have a safe and YUMMY holiday!

Mario Batali Big American Cookbook: 250 Favorite Recipes From Across the USA by Mario Batali

Over two years in the making, with Batali searching for truly delicious dishes from all corners of the US, this definitive cookbook features the best America has to offer. With over 250 simple recipes celebrating the treasures of the state fairs and the dishes of the local rotary clubs and ethnic groups. Batali has interpreted these regional gems with the same excitement and passion that he has approached traditional Italian food.
Covering the Northeast/New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, the Heartland, the Southwest, and the Pacific Coast, this book will share everything from the BBQ styles of Texas, the Smokeys and the Carolinas, to the seafood soups from yankee Boston to the spicy gumbos of the Gulf Coast and the berry pies of the Pacific Northwest.
All the dishes are very simple and do-able--from Philly Cheesesteaks to Marionberry cobbler. And while Batali uses recipes passed down through the generations, he also shares hints on what he would add to the recipe to take the flavor up a notch.
This is THE American cookbook you will want to own.

Recipe Road Trip: Cooking Your Way Across the USA by Nanette Lavin

       Take kids on a road trip around America without leaving your kitchen. Did you know that Baked Alaska is not from Alaska? This recipe was created in Louisiana. The first Twinkie was made in Illinois, and Virginia was the first state to grow peanuts. Explore the geography, history, and regional charm of the United States as you help children prepare different dishes with this entertaining book. Food humor sprinkled throughout the book will have you laughing out loud. Kids can look at the map of the United States to see where a recipe comes from, compared to where they live. The recipes offer a wonderful opportunity for kids to learn cooking along with US geography. Includes more than one hundred recipes--with easy-to-find ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions. Fun food facts and jokes are sprinkled throughout the book, along with colorful, engaging illustrations to highlight state products and inventions. Informative and delicious for kids and their families! 

Cool Midwestern Cooking: Easy and Fun Regional Recipes by Alex Kuskowski

Cook your way across the USA! This title teaches kids to cook local dishes from the Midwestern states. Each book is specially formatted to engage kids while reinforcing Common Core Standards in math, reading comprehension, and science. Kid-tested recipes, from Minnesota Wonderful Wild Rice Pilaf to Kansas Hearty Heartland Stew, include easy step-by-step instructions and custom, how-to photos. Complete tool and ingredients lists are also provided. Get going on a cooking adventure! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO

Recipes Across America by Taste of Home

       Taste of Home Recipes Across America is a collection of 735 recipes from all 50 states.  It is a wonderful keepsake of regional cooking from coast to coast.

       Whether sinking your teeth into crispy Southern Fried Chicken, enjoying a Philly Cheese Steak or sampling a slice of Ozark Mountain Berry Pie, you simply can't beat the comfort of iconic American foods. Now, it's easier than ever to sample the flavors of the country with Taste of Home Recipes Across America.

       This keepsake collection offers 735 recipes that deliver regional flair from all 50 states. Grill up a fiery Southwestern barbecue, stir together a little Texas Caviar, host a New England clam bake or share a Chicago deep dish pizza! You'll find everything from no-fuss snacks and quick supper ideas to weekend menu items and impressive desserts...each of which left a delicious mark on its part of the country!

       Divided into five regions (Northeast, South, Midwest, Southwest and West), Recipes Across America offers all the mouthwatering specialties enjoyed by locals, including unforgettable dishes featuring regional produce. You'll even discover ethnic favorites passed-down through generations of cultures who established roots in various cities throughout the nation.

       As a bonus, you'll enjoy fun food facts and folklore sprinkled throughout the pages. (For example, did you know that Chef George Crum of Saratoga, NY is rumored to have created the potato chip after a customer complained about the chef's fried potatoes?) There are even colorful photos and notes regarding regional landmarks, infamous restaurants and more.

       With so many recipes, photos and kitchen tidbits, Taste of Home Recipes Across America makes it a snap to take your senses on a culinary vacation you'll cherish for years to come.

       With this collection the country is yours from coast to coast. You can plan a Southern summertime barbecue, feed hungry hands with Tex-Mex, enjoy the silky smoothness of maple syrup pie, have a German feast for Okoberfest, juicy fruits from the Pacific Northwest or a Classic Cobb Salad. Enjoy!

       For 20 years, Taste of Home has been the world's most popular cooking publication. Through the pages of the flagship magazine, popular cookbooks and online community, Taste of Home offers a friendly exchange of family-favorite recipes, cooking tips and personal stories from genuine home cooks. Because professional food staff tests and evaluates every recipe in the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, readers are guaranteed success every time.

Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South by Vivian Howard

       This new classic of American country cooking proves that the food of Deep Run, North Carolina--Vivian's home--is as rich as any culinary tradition in the world. Organized by ingredient with dishes suited to every skill level, from beginners to confident cooks, Deep Run Roots features time-honored simple preparations alongside extraordinary meals from her acclaimed restaurant Chef and the Farmer. Home cooks will find photographs for every single recipe, alongside a storytelling voice that "will keep your soul fed for weeks" (Garden and Gun).

      In 2006, Vivian opened Chef and the Farmer and put the nearby town of Kinston on the culinary map. But in a town paralyzed by recession, she couldn't hop on every new culinary trend. Instead, she focused on rural development: If you grew it, she'd buy it. Inundated by local sweet potatoes, blueberries, shrimp, pork, and beans, Vivian learned to cook the way generations of Southerners before her had, relying on resourcefulness, creativity, and the traditional ways of preserving food.

       Deep Run Roots is the result of years of effort to discover the riches of Eastern North Carolina. Like The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, The Art of Simple Food, and The Taste of Country Cooking before it, this is a landmark work of American food writing.