The holidays have arrived – and so have the family and friends. As every good host knows, the most important part of any celebration is the food!

Putting together an impressive spread is challenging enough, but these days, it seems like everyone is on a different diet…. paleo, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or sugar-free – to name a few. Chances are, you’ll be hosting someone this holiday season who is on a special diet.

If you need some help, your local library is a great resource for cookbooks, especially those with fabulous pictures to linger over without the blog. You’ll find specialty holiday cookbooks, baking cookbooks, gourmet cookbooks, cookbooks for complete beginners, as well as cookbooks for every diet you can think of.

From turkeys to stuffing, from cranberry sauce to pumpkin pie, your library has you covered. Even if you just need a fun recipe for your cookie exchange, your library shelves hold a wealth of possibilities.

Here are just a few of the titles you can find in some of your Grand County libraries or in our online catalog: How to Cook Everything Christmas, A Christmas Holiday Cookbook, Cooking Light Holiday Cookbook, The Diabetes Holiday Cookbook, Fix-it and Forget-it Christmas Cookbook, Christmas Cookies, The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook, A Hanukkah Holiday Cookbook, Grandma’s Best Holiday Recipes, All Time Best Holiday Entertaining, plus hundreds and hundreds more!

If you’re going to have some junior chefs helping you prepare your feast, your library even has cookbooks for children. Check out The Children’s Quick and Easy Cookbook, DK Children’s Cookbook, or The Children’s Step by Step Cookbook.

To get you started, here’s a tried and true holiday crowd-pleaser gleaned from a library cookbook many years ago. Enjoy!

Tess Riley is Library Services Specialist with the Grand County Library District.