13 best family cookbooks of 2016

Getting any food on the table at all is a small victory for most parents. Meals need to be easy and use real food—no new techniques or obscure ingredients. Julia Turshen, a recipe developer who’s co-authored books with Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario Batali, makes home cooking feel simple and then empowering. Every recipe comes with tweaks and adjustments and is written so warmly and with such encouragement that you’ll keep coming back. You must try Turshen’s pillowy six-ingredient Sour Cream Pancakes, one-pan Chicken and Leeks, unexpected roasted shredded red cabbage (put it on anything—rice bowls, sunny eggs, salads) and best of all, her game-changing Turkey-Ricotta meatballs: no breadcrumbs, no fuss, all juicy flavour. One batch yields about 40 balls, which makes them the kind of triumphant make-ahead, freeze-able, plenty-of-leftovers meal that every parent can appreciate. $29, amazon.ca