April 2017 Cookbooks

Dishing Up the Dirt: simple recipes for cooking through the seasons by Andrea Bemis

This is a beautiful cookbook and there are lots of recipes I'd like to try. I really like the author's introduction about how she and her husband started Tumbleweed Farm. She also gives an introduction of each section, which is organized by season, about what's going on on the farm during that season, what vegetables are available, etc. While the recipes are mostly vegetarian, they all look so good you hardly notice! Overall, a great seasonal cookbook with beautiful pictures of both the recipes and their farm.

The Forest Feast: simple vegetarian recipes from my cabin in the woods by Erin Gleeson

This is a really unique cookbook in that it's very artistic and includes lots of beautiful photographs and illustrations by the author. Erin Gleeson grew up in California on an apple orchard, but when she moved to New York City she felt right at home there. After eight years in NY she and her husband had the opportunity to move back to California and they found a small cabin in the woods that they fell in love with. Inspired by the forest around their new home Erin started creating recipes that she felt reflected their new cabin life. While all the recipes in this book are vegetarian you hardly notice because everything looks so good. It's organized like a traditional cookbook with chapters on appetizers, salads, etc., but with really unique illustrations. This book is worth picking up just to look at the beautiful photographs, but you'll probably find at least a few recipes you want to try too.

Add a Pinch: easier, faster, fresher Southern classics by Robyn Stone

This is one I might end up buying. I just LOVE a good Southern cookbook and Robyn Stone does not disappoint! The premise of the cookbook is that she's trying to make a quicker, lighter version of many of the Southern dishes she grew up eating. It's organized like a traditional cookbook with chapters like starters & snacks, slow cooker suppers, simple sides, biscuits & bread, etc. Definitely a solid, Southern cookbook! There were so many recipes I'd like to try. I would definitely recommend this one.

Dinner Chez Moi: 50 French secrets to joyful eating and entertaining by Elizabeth Bard

I've read both of Elizabeth Bard's memoirs, so I was excited to see a cookbook from her. While it is a cookbook, she also explores the French food philosophy. There are some recipes I'd like to try, but I enjoyed the food philosophy part even more. The book is divided into 4 sections - Ingredients, Equipment, Rituals, and Family. Each section has French food "secrets" and recipes that go along with that "secret." Overall, a nice cookbook that focuses on simple, fresh food and enjoying food with friends and family.

Food Swings: 125 recipes to enjoy your life of virtue and vice by Jessica Seinfeld

I like Jessica Seinfeld's other cookbooks, so I decided to check this one out. She divides the book into "Virtue" which is healthier recipes and "Vice" which are more indulgent recipes. There were recipes in both sections that I'd like to try and I like her approach to food that it's not hardcore salads and quinoa all the time, but there is a place for creamy pasta and cake too. Overall, a good cookbook with quite a few recipes I'd like to try out.