Christmas from the Heart of the Home

by Susan Branch

Susan Branch's inimitable whimsy and charm have won her a large and loyal following across America -- and made her previous gift books and cookbooks perennial bestsellers. This new hand-painted book is one that no fan will want to miss. For everyone who loves Susan Branch, it's the ideal gift for the holidays and will be treasured now and for years to come. Filled with Branch's homespun wit and wisdom, decorated with her signature watercolors, this stunning book features mouth-watering holiday recipes. Ribbon markers, one red and one green!

Genres: Cookbooks, Christmas, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food, Holiday, Art

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 22, 1990

About the author

I'm the author of the Heart of the Home series of hand-written and watercolored books, and most recently, a three-part illustrated memoir that begins with The Fairy Tale Girl (as the appetizer), goes to Martha's Vineyard, Isle of Dreams (for main course), and then (for dessert) it's A Fine Romance, Falling in Love with the English Countryside. (You can take the girl out of the cookbook, but you can never take the cookbook out of the girl.) Hope you love them. I've been waiting a long time to tell this story.

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Reviews

[Christine Kallner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book full of ideas and recipes for the Christmas season. I haven't made any of the recipes yet, but I have read through the rest of the book. I especially loved many of the quotations Susan sprinkled throughout the text. She presents a rather idealized and nostalgic vision of Christmas, which is lovely, but realistically, I don't think one reader (or their family) could make and do ALL the things she suggests. But there are plenty of different things to choose from if you are looking for some additional ideas for decorating, baking, cooking, gift-giving, etc.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all of Susan Branch's books that are favorites, this might be the best, just because I love the season itself.

Susan Branch's books are the ones I enjoy finding and purchasing as a gift for a friend or family member who I know will enjoy it as much as I.

[Krissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️

Gorgeous drawings, wonderful recipes, and heartwarming Christmas memories make this a book I'll return to each year. Absolutely beautiful!

[Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered a copy for my Mom, also. It is wonderful. Susan Branch uses beautiful artwork and hand-written script for her recipes. It is presented well, and just makes you feel warm and cozy and ready for the Holidays.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful - like wrapping up in a warm blanket on cold winter's night.

[Linda Hartlaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Susan Branch's books! Love everything about them!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best ever chocolate covered macaroon recipe

[Ash Stockman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book - the recipes are delicious and the stories, quotes, and traditions are lovely! I can't wait for Christmas now!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Susan Branch and I love this book. The illustrations, inspirational quotes and ideas, and of course the recipes are fantastic, if only as a culinary time capsule. Truth be told, after borrowing the book from the library many times, I finally purchased it for the Apple Fritter recipe. Perhaps I’ll add a modern twist and cook them in the air fryer!

“O Winter, king of intimate delights
Fire side enjoyment, home born happiness,
And all the comforts that the lowly roof
Of undisturb’d retirement, and the hours
Of long uninterrupted ev’ning know.”
William Cowper

“O, come quickly, I am drinking stars!”
So sayeth Dom Perignon upon his discovery of champagne.

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟 The talented and spirited Susan Branch does it again with her beautifully illustrated Christmas book! I love her unique, charming drawings and handwritten pages. The added family photographs, holiday memories, quotes and recipes make for an inspiring and highly enjoyable read. Even though the recipes aren't vegan-friendly, I still had a fun time reading through the directions and thinking of ways that I could make the recipe more plant-based.

A classic Christmas book to come back to year after year!

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

While this over-sized version of Branch's book contains larger typeface, its script font is still hard to read which makes it unusable to people. It doesn't really contain much that is new in the way of items, however, I did find the Doggie Treats somewhat interesting and will try them out this Christmas. I wouldn't see why beef or chicken broth wouldn't work but I do understand that dogs like the meat flavorings.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of Susan Branch’s Christmas Joy is featured in this book. I wonder how many more of Susan’s Christmas books are reworked into different Christmas themed reads. This is why I’m unsure of adding more of Susan’s books to my personal library. The recipes featured are lovely but I’m unsure how many of them I’d actually make.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Branch’s Christmas from the Heart of Home is a beautiful, cheerful and uplifting book, filled with recipes, stories and inspiring ideas for warm holiday memories. I admire both the written and illustrated artistic creativity in these pages!

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Branch and Mary Englebreit create such wonderful books! Loved this one, too!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book! A few recipes worth trying..

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really inspiring Christmas recipes with personalized Christmas memories/stories by the author. I love the pictures and script

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Replete with Branch's charming drawings and calligraphy, this is a book full of recipes, gift ideas, and ways to make the season special.

[Jamie Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas is so magical with friends and family.

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sentimental! So dated! Perfect.

[Laura Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been rereading this book at Christmas time for years. It’s like a comforting visit with an old friend.

[Yeoyu · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[James Greening · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly beautiful book that is all things Christmas, with recipes, paintings, poems, and everything sweet and nice about the holiday. Highly recommend!

[Leah A-M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very charming and cozy but perhaps too many fancy schmancy dinner party recipes for us normal folks. Would've liked more Christmas crafts/activities/etc.

[Sherry Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet illustrations and memory building ideas.

[Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd stumbled upon this book online one day, and wanted to give it a try. I ended up being on the waiting list at the library for quite a few months to read it, so when it finally came in, I was excited to try it out.

I will say this book is breathtakingly, beautiful. The art work is gorgeous, and the colors really pop out on each page. It's whimsical and idyllic, and it would probably make a great coffee table book for decor during the Christmas season.

However, if I'm being honest, it wasn't at all what I was expecting it to be. The fancy script made it hard to read a lot of the passages, and most of the content seemed impractical. I love to cook, and yet there were very few recipes included throughout that I could see myself actually using. I'm not a fan of alcohol, and I was quite surprised with just how recipes required it as one of the ingredients.

Overall, I'm glad I had the opportunity to peruse the beautiful illustrations and interesting tidbits within, but I ended up being thankful I'd saved myself the money on buying this one and got it from the library, as I don't foresee myself ever picking it back up.

Final Rating: 3/5.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The presentation of this holiday book, with its flowing font and homespun, colorful illustrations, make a cookbook enthusiast linger over each and every page. Christmas From the Heart of the Home is a delightful inspiration for all during a very hectic time of year.

[Sue Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!!!!!! Love Christmas!!!!!!!

[Christina]

Recommended by Julie Kong.

[Janine McBee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love any cookbook I've purchased of Susan Branch. Her illustrations and recipes provide peaceful escapes and interesting recipes to try.

[Julied · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love her artwork!