Giving the gift of a new cookbook to the family chef — or to a good friend who loves to prepare meals for friends and family — is sure to evoke smiles all ’round during the upcoming season of holidays.

So, we’ve assembled a number of the new releases for your consideration — new books written by a bunch of talented cooks, ranging from well-known locals to favorites of ours who make our mouths water as they prepare savory dishes on TV cooking shows we watch on a regular basis.

Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday, best known as the day to enjoy slices of juicy roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, mounds of stuffing and ladles of gravy as we give thanks for the health and well-being of our families and friends.

With diverse cultures stretched across the country from Atlantic to Pacific oceans, it’s no surprise to find that the holiday menu changes significantly as one travels from New England to the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest. Bostonians are likely to flavor their dishes with maple syrup. Those from Seattle might top deviled eggs with smoked salmon. Head to the Southwest and you’ll find jalapeños tucked into slices of cornbread.

“The New Thanksgiving Table” (Chronicle Books, $24.95) gives the home cook creative recipes for the perfect Thanksgiving dinner — no matter where you live. This attractive new cookbook covers the entire meal, from appetizers to leftovers.

The keys to ensuring a stress-free occasion are in author and cooking instructor Diane Morgan’s indispensable menus and tips that focus on how the home cook can organize his or her time and prepare many dishes in advance.

From Hickory Grill-Roasted Turkey to Bourbon Pecan Pie with Buttermilk Whipped Cream, there are lots of recipes that could well become new family favorites. You’ll also find innovative twists on tried-and-true classics, such as Iron Skillet Succotash, Sweet Potato Puree with Pecan Streusel and an irresistible Cranberry Cheesecake with Chocolate Cinnamon Crust.

Whether you’re hosting your first Thanksgiving or your 30th, preparing dinner for four or 20, “The New Thanksgiving Table” is sure to inspire with more than 70 recipes — along with plenty of dishes for vegetarians — to celebrate this most festive of holidays.

Long before small plates became popular in restaurants around the country, Cindy Pawlcyn’s legions of fans made meals of her restaurants’ sampler-size starters.

Bringing home the biggest trend in eating out, “Cindy Pawlcyn’s Appetizers” (Ten Speed Press, $15.95) offers a tempting collection of recipes designed to satisfy big appetites as well as grazers — from Grilled Oysters to Gougères, Pepper Garlic Wings to Mustards’ Famous Onion Rings.

Mouthwatering photographs of finished dishes prepared from easy-to-find ingredients and a kitchen-friendly easel format make this portable Pawlcyn an appealing gift package.

Pawlcyn owns and operates three Napa Valley restaurants — Mustards Grill, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen and Go Fish.

Developed by one of the country’s top pastry chefs, “Savory Baking: Warm and Inspiring Recipes for Crisp, Crumbly, Flaky Pastries” (Chronicle Books, $24.95) contains 75 inviting recipes in an ideal guide for adventurous bakers who prefer savory eats to sweet treats.

Written by award-winning pastry chef Mary Cech (who was the pastry chef when the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone’s restaurant opened more than a decade ago), this newly published effort is a new twist on an old subject, and the only baking book focused entirely on savory — not sweet — baking.

With creative recipes for bakers at all skill levels, “Savory Baking” offers new baking options for people who don’t have a sweet tooth and want to expand their repertoire using herbs, nuts, fruits, cheeses, mushrooms, meats and garlic rather than chocolate chips and buttercream.

Serve a showstopping New York-Style Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheesecake or Canadian Bacon Bread Pudding at your next brunch. There’s not a more perfect afternoon snack than a plate of Black-Rimmed Pistachio Wafers or Sour Cream Fig Spirals.

A TV favorite

One of TV’s most popular cooks, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich has authored a half-dozen cookbooks, four of them accompanied by nationally syndicated public television series. She is a renowned restaurateur — having started with acclaimed Felidia in New York City — and she lectures on and demonstrates Italian cookery throughout the country.

Working with her daughter, Tanya, Lidia has just put together a great new cookbook of recipes from little-known parts of Italy that she loves to explore. All of the recipes in “Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy” (Alfred A. Knopf, $35) reflect the regions from which they spring. In translating them to home kitchens, Lidia passes on time-honored techniques and uncomplicated recipes for dishes bursting with different regional flavors.

Starting in the north, working down to the tip and ending in Sardinia, the well-liked native of the Istrian peninsula offers recipes for Polenta with Black Beans and Kale (Lombardy), Farro with Pork Ragu Potenza Style (Basilicata), Stuffed Quail in Parchment (Le Marche), Rabbit with Onions (Abruzzo), Potato-Mushroom Cake with Braised Lentils (Umbria), Shepherd’s Rigatoni (Calabria) and Flatbread Lasagna (Sardinia). The book contains a feast of 175 regional recipes.

Authors of the award-winning “Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook,” Matt and Ted Lee grew up in Charleston, S.C., immersed in flavorful traditions — long-simmered gumbos, fish-fry marathons, whole hog barbecues — that have made southern food one of the most beloved of American cuisines.

But they also came of age in the company of two hardworking parents who enlisted them in making dinner happen. As teens, they learned that even the most routine weeknight family meals could be indulgences, as long as you’ve got great ingredients and some wise cooking counsel — and most importantly — you’re having fun in the kitchen.

That’s the genesis of “The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern” (Clarkson Potter, $35) — easy, healthy dishes for every day that don’t compromise an ounce of deep southern flavor. This new effort from the Lee brothers speaks to the way contemporary southerners cook and eat, offering more than 100 straightforward yet sophisticated recipes, such as Pimento-Cheese Potato Gratin, Pork Tenderloins with Madeira and Fig Gravy, plus Buttermilk Pudding Cakes with Sugared Raspberries.

As the weather cools and autumn leaves display their gorgeous reds and golds, Maine’s Stonewall Kitchen prepares for the holidays. From the collaborative effort of Jonathan King, Jim Stott and Kathy Gunst, “Stonewall Kitchen Winter Celebrations” (Chronicle Books, $19.95)

brings home cooks the best recipes for holiday entertaining, from cocktail party for close friends to Christmas dinner for the extended family.

Add some pizzazz to your Thanksgiving feast with updated side dishes like Mashed Parsnips and Pears and Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Nutmeg-Cardamom Cream and Pancetta Breadcrumbs. Celebrate Hanukkah with a slow-roasted Brisket with Winter Vegetables. Hold a holiday open house and serve Indian-Spiced Meatballs with Yogurt and Mango Chutney, or have a cozy night by the fire with a warming bowl of Osso Buco with Orange Gremolata. A Four Berry Crisp or a magnificent Chocolate Mint Christmas Cake makes a perfect ending to any holiday meal.

Special seasonal assistance comes in the form of a roasting primer to ensure a perfectly cooked turkey or rib roast. In addition, there’s lots of suggestions for turning many of the recipes into tasty gifts for loved ones.

A bestseller

With more than 6 million books in print, Mollie Katzen is listed by the New York Times as one of the best-selling cookbook authors of all time.

Her latest effort, “Get Cooking” (Harperstudio, $24.99), subtitled “150 Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen,” is the first book from Katzen designed specifically for beginners, whether you are just starting to cook for yourself or trying to kick the restaurant habit. Unlike most cookbooks, the goal of “Get Cooking”  is to get you in the kitchen, no matter what your experience level might be.

Illustrated throughout with color photographs of each dish, “Get Cooking” gives clear, step-by-step instructions for making everything from classic mashed potatoes to Broccoli-Cheddar Cheese Calzones to Hot Fudge Sundaes (with homemade hot fudge).

What do bakers do when they have the wrong size pan for a cake? What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder? Confusion in the kitchen is cleared up in the newest addition to the Answer Book series. Baking is an exact science and “The Baking Answer Book” (Storey Publishing, $14.95) ensures that cookies, cakes, cobblers and cream puffs turn out exactly perfect every time.

“The Baking Answer Book” is organized into chapters covering ingredients, equipment, baking science and categories of baked goods, so it’s easy to find solutions to any baking problem. Questions about substitutions, storage, measurements, altitude, temperature and technique makes this book a must-have for any baker’s kitchen.

Is the “dad” in your life a master at the grill? Does he wax poetic while standing proudly above the carefully built pile of ash-colored charcoal? Does the smell of barbecued meat bring a smile to his lips? If so, then Bob Sloan’s new cookbook is just for him.

In “Dad’s Awesome Grilling Book” (Chronicle Books, $24.95), the author of “The Tailgating Cookbook” offers tasty recipes, sage advice and witty reflections in this ultimate tribute to dads and their grills. He shows how easy it is to transform fresh ingredients into more than 100 sizzling, delicious dishes like Honey-Glazed Spareribs, Chicken Thighs Cubano, Cider and Honey-Glazed Pork Chops as well as Grilled Chipotle Leg of Lamb.

The road to a healthier lifestyle starts with small decisions and better choices, notes Register columnist and nutritionist Cheryl Forberg. Now, with the latest publication from the adviser to TV’s “The Biggest Loser,” “The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps” (Rodale, $21.99), you can get healthy by simply swapping your old foods, habits and lifestyle choices for healthier versions every day.

With 100 simple swaps that cut calories, save money and provide better nutrition, as well as more than 30 mouthwatering recipes that put these swaps into action, getting fit and healthy has never been easier.

Readers will learn how to swap lasagna noodles for veggies, traditional yogurt for Greek-style yogurt and sugary cereals for whole grains. Throughout the new book, readers will also find advice and tips from “The Biggest Loser” experts, trainers and the contestants themselves who understand the challenges of fitting lifestyle changes into a busy schedule.

“Men eat differently from women — they eat more, they eat constantly and they eat passionately,” Lucinda Scala Quinn writes in the introduction to her new cookbook, “Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys” (Artisan, $27.95). “They ransack a packed refrigerator and scrounge crumbs from an empty one. They eat standing in front of the fridge, and they eat with their fingers. They always make a mess and never notice. They are all appetite and no pretense.

“What’s for dinner?” is the most important, most burning question. Food is everything to them and food is nothing until there is none. And, if they’re ‘mad hungry’ with no food in sight, life is a living hell. But feeding them well is what many of us love to do and few jobs feel as satisfying. It’s what keeps them healthy, keeps them happy, gives them some of their fondest memories and teaches them to cook.

“Boys and men who grow up eating flavorful home-cooked food are more likely to cook for themselves. A man who knows how to cook is more self-sufficient, is a better roommate,  boyfriend, father and son. And, as any wife knows,  a husband who can cook is like one who can dance — the deluxe package.”

With oodles of great recipes, this is a practical guide for feeding the men in your life and building a love of good food — coming from a celebrated cook, a mother and Martha Stewart’s top expert on food and entertaining.

With Gourmet magazine going out of business, grabbing a copy of the publication’s newest cookbook — “Gourmet Today” (Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, $40) — is a way to hold onto the treasured recipes we’ve come to love over the years of the magazine’s existence.

Edited by Ruth Reichl, “Gourmet Today” contains “more than 1,000 all-new recipes for the contemporary kitchen,” ranging from more than 100 easy vegetable side dishes to nearly a like amount of seafood recipes, as well as hundreds of favorites from around the world and a world of grilled dishes, from Grilled Corn with Chipotle Mayonnaise to Grilled Jerk Pork Tenderloin.

This one’s more than 1,000 pages that offer everything from tempting cocktails to practical menus for everything from family supper to dinner parties for family and friends.