Publishers of new Thanksgiving book predict a drop in frantic calls to the Butterball Hotline

Panic is out, control is in, with a new book about cooking Thanksgiving dinner with a techie spin.

Ithaca, NY USA (September 22, 2006) -- Few events are as stressful as cooking Thanksgiving dinner, but the publishers of Take Control Books are predicting a significant drop in frantic calls to the Butterball Hotline this year as cooks turn instead to a new user-friendly book Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner. The 104-page book offers delicious, stress-free results for readers who follow its clearly laid-out steps for planning and preparing the massive holiday meal.

The book is the brainchild of Joe Kissell, well-known computer book author and head of the new Geeky Gourmet blog. "I'm a foodie from way back, but I put food on the table by writing about computers," Kissell said. "In technical writing, my goal is to break down complex and confusing computer tasks into simple, easy-to-follow steps. In this book, I do the same with the tasks necessary for Thanksgiving dinner."

Kissell walks readers through all the steps: planning, shopping, preparations the day before, and finally cooking the turkey and trimmings on the big day. Detailed recipes are provided for traditional Thanksgiving dishes, from turkey and stuffing to cranberry relish and pumpkin pie. "What you see in this book may not be exactly the way your mom or your favorite celebrity chef does it," Kissell says. "But after extensive testing of the recipes, I can assure you that if you follow them, you'll enjoy cooking and eating on Thanksgiving." Many of Kissell's friends in the tech industry were involved in a pre-publication online critique of the book, some of them beta-testing complete Thanksgiving feasts in kitchens coast-to-coast in August.

Appendixes cover special cases from allergies to vegans, offer an optional vegetarian main dish, and provide advice for anyone who needs to start preparations late. A special, downloadable "Print Me" file provides shopping lists and schedules, as well as concise versions of the recipes to tape up in the kitchen. Readers are encouraged to modify the included shopping lists, schedules, and recipes to suit their holiday plans and traditions.

Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner costs $10 for the instant-gratification ebook version or $19.99 for a printed copy at http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/
thanksgiving.html. The ebook version is a carefully designed PDF file with hot links for cross-references and mentioned Web sites, making it easy to navigate the book and access recommended recipes and sites quickly; the print version is professionally printed and bound with a lay-flat binding.

For review copies, interview requests, or excerpts and recipes, contact Tonya Engst.

Book Info:
Title: Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner
Author: Joe Kissell
Details: PDF or print format, 104 pages, free 31-page sample available
ISBN: 1-933671-19-X
Price: $10 for the ebook; $19.99 for the print book
More info and ordering: http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/thanksgiving.html

About Take Control Books:
Take Control Books, begun in 2003 as part of TidBITS Electronic Publishing, has helped tens of thousands of readers get more out of their computers with high-quality, real-world documentation. To learn more, visit our FAQ.

Media Contact:
Tonya Engst, Editor in Chief
Take Control Books
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607-275-8383

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