September 2014 Cookbooks

Urban Pantry: Tips & Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable & Seasonal Kitchen by Amy Pennington

This is a unique cook book in that it is more than just a collection of recipes - it's a guide for stocking and creating a pantry that makes it easier to cook from. The author was inspired by a friend of hers who loved to eat her homemade food, but kept next to nothing on hand in his apartment. She started creating a list of pantry essentials for him that eventually turned into this book. Each chapter goes over a staple or staple category like whole grains, beans, eggs, etc. and each chapter has recipes that incorporate or focus on those staples. There are also chapters on small batch preserving and growing a "pantry garden." Overall, I liked it and there were a few recipes I'd like to try out plus it inspired me to revamp my own pantry soon.

Pie Love by Warren Brown

This book will inspire you to make a pie or multiple pies! This book is full of awesome pie recipes. There are only 5 chapters - piecrusts, sweet pie fillings, tart crusts, sweet tarts, and savory pies. I really liked how the author had multiple different pie crust recipes that he then paired with different fillings. I already have a pie crust recipe I like, but I definitely want to try the vanilla bean and chocolate pie crusts. He also includes gluten-free and vegan pie crust recipes. This is just a great cook book to inspire you to try some new pie variations. Since we're heading into fall I think I'll try some new recipes out soon.