The Game Night Cookbook: Snacks, Noshes, and Drinks for Good Times

Party food gets a worthy celebration in this entertaining collection of tasty recipes perfect for gathering ’round. Scott-Goodman (Cake) pays homage to game night classics with a hot and sweet Chex mix, which gets its subtle kick from sriracha, and fudgey brownies with “crackly crusts.” Meanwhile, more inventive fare draws on global flavors, such as Korean-inspired gochujang chicken wings, black bean and spinach tacos, and a Thai riff on shrimp cocktail that’s marinated with rice vinegar and ginger. Equally appetizing are the dozens of terrific make-ahead sidebars on offer to optimize planning (the romesco sauce for the roast beef and romesco sandwiches, for instance, can be made up to one week in advance), as well as game plans for menus, with detailed timetables that ensure there’s never a lull in the revelry: for poker night, she instructs readers to prudently pickle their veggies two weeks ahead. Readers will likewise enjoy the diverting trivia sprinkled throughout; a snappy history of Monopoly, for instance, reveals that the board game was invented by a woman who protested the monopolies of the Gilded Age. Informative, flavorful, and fun, this is sure to keep the party going from the kitchen to the table. Agent: Eryn Kalavsky, Sally Literary. (Mar.)