Book Review: The Homemade Kitchen by Alana Chernila

Alana Chernila, author of The Homemade Pantry, has published a new book called The Homemade Kitchen.  Like her first book, The Homemade Kitchen includes recipes for the types of food the great majority of us would never think of making ourselves, and would buy at the grocery store without a second thought.  Tofu, feta cheese, kefir and graham crackers are a few of the grocery store staples that Chernila includes recipes for.  These recipes, however, are only a small part of the content of this book.  The Homemade Kitchen is a quite different book, in that it includes recipes for complete dishes, all of which place fresh ingredients, including the homemade grocery store staples.  Many of these recipes come with a list of suggestions of other possible versions of the main recipe.  A recipe for muffins comes with favorite flavor combinations like Pear Chocolate Hazelnut, Apple Pecan, and Raspberry Almond.  The book starts with explanations for how to cook basics, like eggs, grains, and pies.  This is a book that a broader range of cooks are likely to use than her first book, this cook included.  It is a great combination of simple recipes, pantry recipes, and cooking advice.  This book is also more attractive in design than Chernila's first book, and the photos are gorgeous.  I also love that this book includes a lot of little essays and extended descriptions and explanations for each of the recipes.  

(I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Blogging for Books.)