When it comes to gift-worthy cookbooks, think big.

Publishers have big hopes for big books from big chefs this holiday season.

Local retailers pointed out several new recipe collections expected to do well.

Super chefs

- "Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book," $24.95

Celebrity chef Rachael Ray dishes up recipes for 30-minute meals, veggie meals, holiday dishes, dinner for one, kosher kitchens and many more.

- "Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook," $45

Stewart's latest release is designed to teach you how to cook, then offers 200 recipes to put you to the test.

- "Paula Deen's My First Cookbook," $21.99

Paula Deen with Martha Nesbit

Celebrity chef Paula Deen tested recipes with a group of 7- and 8-year-old girls.

"In the beginning they could barely break an egg," she writes.

Recipes range from very simple to slightly more complex. The book's applewiches call for apples sliced flat, covered in peanut butter and a slice of cheese. With a little more effort, kids can create chicken pot pie, stews, sloppy joes, s'mores, doughnuts and much more. There's even a recipe for green eggs and ham.

The book also features safety tips for kids and parents to go over before learning to cook.

"Cooking can be dangerous! I'm serious!" Deen writes, adding that what you can do on your own depends on how old you are. There is also a glossary and instructions on measuring, setting a table and practicing good manners.

- "Spain: A Culinary Road Trip," $34.95 Mario Batali with Gwyneth Paltrow

This beautifully designed work would be as comfortable on a coffee table as in a kitchen cabinet. Full of photos and stories, it follows superstar chef Mario Batali and superstar actress Gwyneth Paltrow on an eating tour of Spain.

It's a companion book to the public television series, "Spain ... On the Road Again." The book has road trip photos as well as food shots, and delivers the flavor of the fun as well as the food.

A snippet from a conversation:

Gwyneth: 'You ate baby lamb! That's such bad karma, eating a baby.'

Mario: 'Imagine all the tiny little soys that gave their life for your milk.'

Recipes range from traditional fare such as paella and rice dishes to torrijas, fried bread soaked in wine.

Tortilla Espanola

Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1¼ pounds waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

8 extra-large eggs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium high until very hot but not smoking. Add the potatoes and onion, season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat if necessary so that the vegetables do not brown, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add the potatoes to the eggs, then pour into the skillet, spreading the potatoes evenly in the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, just to set the bottom of the egg mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, or until almost set throughout. Carefully flip the tortilla over (invert it onto a plate if you must, then slide it back into the pan, bottom side up) and cook for 5 minutes longer, until set. Flip out on to a clean plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Novelty cookbooks n "Southern Living Kids Cookbook," $19.95

This one also comes packed with tips, illustrations and a variety of recipes from nutrition-packed smoothies to scrambled eggs, pumpkin pie and "better-than-the-box mac and cheese." There's even a yummy sounding recipe for Rocky Top Brownies. Dripping with melted chocolate and peanut butter, the picture alone will make you salivate. Any kid who wants to make these for me — bring 'em.

The book also has features on cooking, with pictures of tools and tips on measuring and preparing ingredients.

A sample recipe:

Peanutty Dip

1 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt

½ cup powdered sugar

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Serve with fresh fruit, graham cracker sticks, or pretzel twists. Makes 1 1/3 cups of dip.

- "Crazy Sista Cooking: Cuisine & Conversation," $29.95 Lucy Anne Buffett and Anastasia Arnold

If you're a fan of Gulf Coast flavors, dip into this book from Jimmy Buffett's sister.

The owner of LuLu's Sunset Grill shares recipes for fried shrimp, creole seasoning, fried green tomatoes, jalapeno hush puppies, fried okra, summer and winter gumbo, red velvet cake, margarita cheesecake, Key lime pie and much more. She also offers tips on cooking and explains the mainstays of cooking like LuLu.

"You've gotta really love it to do it really well. Honey, if you don't like to cook, I suggest healthy take-out, so you can spend your time doing whatever it is that you do enjoy," she writes.

And for the amateur bartenders among us, there's a section on specialty drinks: the Loopty-Lu, Bama Breeze, "Nola Style" Hurricane and even a local favorite, the Bushwacker.

Mother's Milk

2 ounces Mount Gay or anejo rum

4 ounces club soda

Splash of Coke

Lime wedge

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add rum. Pour club soda almost to the top. Add a splash of Coke. Garnish with lime.

Classics/series

- "The Joy of Cooking," $35

The 75th anniversary edition of this classic comes short on frills and chock full of food. It doesn't feature elaborate photos or fancy design, but it does have 4,500 recipes. You name it — it's probably in there.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Makes about 8 cups

Roast 6 large red bell peppers (book has instructions on roasting peppers).

Peel, seed, and cut the flesh into long strips. Or, drain and cut into strips: Two 7-ounce jars roasted red peppers.

Heat in a soup pot over medium low heat:

3 tablespoons olive oil

Add and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes:

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup chopped fennel or celery

Stir in the roasted peppers along with:

6 cups poultry stock, chicken broth, or other light stock or broth

3 tablespoons white rice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried

1 to 1¼ teaspoons fennel seeds

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, until the peppers and rice are very tender, about 30 minutes. Puree the soup until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in:

½ cup heavy cream

2 to 3 drops balsamic vinegar

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Serve hot or cold, with Croutons.

- "Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook," $29.95

Phyllis Pellman Good

Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to taste, too. This book has 1,400 slow cooker recipes for appetizers, spreads, dips, soups, stews, chicken dishes, desserts and more. For local shrimp-loving chefs, there are shrimp-tastic recipes for chowder, creole, jambalaya, soup, chowder and more.