The Homemade Kitchen by Alana Chernila
In her follow up cookbook, the author of The Homemade Pantry brings food, eating
and cooking down to their basics. She
approaches much of this book through her eleven-year-old daughter Sadie who is
beginning to not only discover the pleasures of cooking for the final product,
but also the sense of comfort and even emotional well-being that can be found
through the process of cooking, allowing your mind to wander or to focus on the
task at hand. After a short essay, Alana
begins the first chapter with a “How to Cook” primmer from eggs to vegetables
to pickles, turning fruit into jam, cooking grains, roasting a chicken, pie
crusts and pasta. She next reminds us
that even if we are eating alone we are worth the effort and follows up with
easy recipes that work as a light lunch or snack for one but could easily be a
starter or side for a family supper.
Alana sings the praises of garlic, even describing how to grow it in a
conversational manner, and focuses on fresh ingredients and recipes that relate
back to our mental and physical well-being.
Alana discusses between organic and Certified Naturally Grown and
demystifies the labels on chickens and eggs.
Several pages on food waste offer tips to storing food to avoid loss and
gives helpful tips for what to do with peels and scraps before turning them to
compost. While the recipes are
interesting and variations offer ways to change up recipes like stuffed winter
squash or quiche, it is the chatty, friendly side-bars sharing Alana’s good
humor and dedication to good food that make this a very useful and user
friendly cookbook.
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for
this review.
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