June 2016 Cookbooks

The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook by Amanda Haas and Bradley Jacobs

Inflammation is a natural occurrence in the body, but if it happens too much it can wreak havoc. This cookbook has a great introduction that explains inflammation and gives some personal stories of how food healed inflammation-related issues for the author and others. I really liked that she gave a list of "feel-good" foods and foods to avoid that are the most likely causes of food-related inflammation. There were quite a few recipes that looked really good and most of the recipes look really easy too. Overall, it looks like a good cookbook.

Broth & Stock from the Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther

I loved Jennifer McGruther's previous cookbook The Nourished Kitchen, so I was excited to check this one out. This one is solely devoted to broths and stocks. I like how she gives basic broth and stock recipes, then goes into recipes using those broths and stocks. I'm already making my own chicken stock and canning it, but I do want to move on to beef stock. There were some recipes using broth and stock that I'd like to try. I also really appreciate how she reiterates the importance of sourcing quality meat/bones sources for your broths and stocks. I also liked how she shared various ways to store your stocks, including dehydrating which I had never heard of before. This would be a great introduction into making your own broths and stocks and once you start you'll realize how EASY it is.

Melissa's Southern Cookbook by Melissa Sperka

I love a good Southern cookbook and in many ways this one did not disappoint. There are TONS of recipes for Southern classics like biscuits and sausage gravy, skillet cornbread, hush puppies, etc. But, a few of the recipes called for "ingredients" like canned biscuits, or corn muffin mix. I don't understand why you would give a recipe for homemade biscuits and then a few pages later use canned biscuits in a recipe. But, most of the recipes look good and fairly easy to make. There were quite a few I wanted to try, so overall I did like it.

Foolproof Preserving: a Guide to Small-Batch Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Condiments, and More by America's Test Kitchen

This is a great basic canning and preserving book. I like that it's smaller batches, especially since not all of the recipes are designed for canning. The book is divided into sections by type of recipes - sweet jams & jellies, savory jams & chutneys, pickles, tomatoes, fruit in syrup, and condiments & fruit butters. Plus, there is a good introduction about the equipment needed for canning. There are a few recipes I'd like to try. Overall, a good solid preserving/canning cookbook.

The Vegetable Butcher by Cara Mangini

This is a unique book in that you don't think of the word "butcher" associated with vegetables. Basically this book goes from A - Z with various vegetables and each one has a page with info about that vegetable (when it's in season, what pairs well with it, how to pick a good one, and how to store). Then there is a page or two about various ways to "butcher" that vegetable, then a few recipes using that vegetable. While there weren't a ton of recipes I wanted to try, I still liked all the info about the various veggies and the best ways to prep them. Overall, a good start if you want to eat more veggies or find new ways to use them.