"Joy The Baker" Blogger And Author Shares Recipes And Tips For A Joyous Holiday Season

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Nov 20, 2012, 08:00 ET

MODESTO, Calif., Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Food blogger and author Joy Wilson, also known to her readers as Joy the Baker, serves up funny stories and tasty recipes on her lovable website JoytheBaker.com and in her "Joy the Baker Cookbook" (Hyperion, 2012). Now in a free, downloadable holiday guide illustrated with her own photography, Wilson provides a range of fun, easy and elegant ideas for a time of year that has her name written all over it.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121120/LA16555)

In "A Joyous Season: Celebrate the Holidays with Joy the Baker," Wilson has teamed up with California Almonds to show off in text, photos and video some new recipes and tips. From hors d'oeuvres to entreés to Joy's favorite — desserts — the guide is a great resource for home cooks looking for fresh inspiration for their holiday table. To download it, visit AlmondBoard.com/JoyTheBaker.

"While a lot of my recipes have been dedicated to sweet treats, I see the holidays as an opportunity to play in the kitchen, and expand my love of butter to other parts of the menu," Wilson says. "This holiday season in particular, I'm bringing new friends together around the dinner table to create new holiday traditions that feel both classic and fresh."

According to Wilson, holiday gatherings should be interactive for both guests and hosts, and she recommends setting the mood not only with festive décor, but also with games and music, such as classic holiday tunes mixed in with her favorite playlist. But mostly, treat your guests as you would want to be treated, she says, with good company and great food, even if doesn't all contain tons of butter and sugar!

The dishes featured in the guide—from her Grape Rosemary Almond Focaccia starter to the Wild Rice Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Brussels Sprouts main course—are comforting and homey. Wilson's love for the sweet stuff shines through in her Honey Almond Butter Chocolate Tart. Wilson clearly loves her work—and fans see how much in these videos she shot while preparing this menu for a party of her own.

For more information on Wilson or to download her guide, visit AlmondBoard.com/JoyTheBaker.

About Joy Wilson
Joy Wilson is the voice behind the popular blog Joy the Baker. In four short years, Joy the Baker has been named one of the "50 Best Food Blogs" by The London Times, and the "Best Baking Blog" by Saveur magazine. Joy the Baker chronicles everything from "how to impress boys with brownies" to "how to make a pancake dinner just for one." Her food, writing, and photography are approachable, light-hearted and will have you laughing out loud while reaching for your fork. Visit JoyTheBaker.com and Homefries.com for more Joy.

About California Almonds
Consumers all over the world enjoy California Almonds as a natural, wholesome and quality food product, making almonds California's leading agricultural export in terms of value. The Almond Board of California promotes almonds through its research-based approach to all aspects of marketing, farming and production on behalf of the more than 6,000 California Almond growers and processors, many of whom are multi-generational family operations. Established in 1950 and based in Modesto, California, the Almond Board of California is a non-profit organization that administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture. For more information on Almond Board of California or almonds, visit AlmondBoard.com.