If You Love Soup...

By Charlotte

Book Review: Broth and Stock from The Nourished Kitchen

Official FC Rating:

...then you need this book. 

This book was delivered to the house and approximately three hours later I'd finished reading it. And then passed it along to others to read. It's been a hit with everyone. It's organized terrifically, beginning with lessons on how to make broth (obviously) and then listing recipes by type (poultry, meat, fish, vegetable). So it's good if you happen to be one of those freaks who smile at all well-organized things (hand in the air) and if you're into any kind of soup. This book is just as useful for the carnivore as it is for the vegan. I'm a Ron Swanson kind of person when it comes to food and I tend to joke-mock people who don't eat meat (all in good fun...) but let me tell you, this book has got me reconsidering my priorities. 

Don't get me wrong, I'll make and love some of the meat recipes. But for the first time maybe ever I read some of the vegetable recipes and thought, "whoa, I need to make this!" Highly unusual, and, I think, a testament to the quality of this book. 

I'd recommend this book to anyone. I often lament my lack of basic kitchen knowledge, and this book may just put an end to that. I know how to cook well enough, but I'm excited to use broth I make myself instead of buy. You know. Also! Cuts down on food waste since it tells you how to use virtually every piece of meat, bone, etc. (There's even a "kitchen scrap broth" that includes using peels and skins you'd normally throw in a compost bin.) And we all know cutting down on waste is hot.

If nothing I'm saying sounds surprising to you because you're some kind of kitchen wiz, buy the book for the recipes. If the things I'm saying are new to you - I've never heard of using onion peels for broth - then buy the book for the nice basics and for the recipes. Basically if you're a human person and you need to eat food to stay nourished and alive, buy the book. 

The pictures are nice, too. ;)  

__

Char

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Blogging For Books program in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Pie in the Sky

By Charlotte 

Book Review: The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book - Uncommon Recipes From the Celebrated Brooklyn Pie Shop by Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen

Official FC Rating: 

This book was given to me as a Christmas gift and I love it. There are so many great things about it.  The authors are sisters who run a pie shop and the way they write about their family, their history, and their work is really endearing. It’s also well organized, which is great for me. I’m easily distracted and I tend to feel a little overwhelmed if I don’t have clear cut ways of doing things.  IT’S SO HARD TO LIVE. But yeah, the book. The recipes are organized by season! It’s so terrific to not have to go real nutsy looking for a recipe and just turning to that season’s page instead. Boom: right there, right now.

Another terrific thing? It’s aesthetically pleasing. I know that’s not the single most important thing, but for me it adds to the overall quality of a book, especially a book of this nature. ~eat with your eyes~ This book is really beautiful. I won’t lie, I’m known to just randomly pluck it off the shelf to look at it for no reason. It’s just so lovely.

I should win an award for this stellar photography.

I use recipes for meals from the internet fairly often, but I enjoy using recipes from books more. That’s true for all kinds of food, but definitely for desserts. I don’t know, it’s a quirk. This book includes over 60 recipes (around 50-ish for pies and some more for different kinds of crusts) and so is a great resource to have on hand at any moment.

And lucky thing, because I love pie. LOVE PIE. So there is really no better thing than a big fat book filled with all the info I need. BECAUSE I LOVE PIE.

See? I love it.

(Also, do you love Gilmore Girls? You SHOULD love Gilmore Girls. And if you're a true fan, you know pie is a beloved dessert of the GG. Lorelai would buy this book. She'd never use it, but she'd have it. Sookie would use it. If you love Gilmore Girls, you should probably own this book.)

If you want a general dessert book, I don’t know if this is the book for you because it’s just pie. No cake or muffins or anything. But if you know where it’s at and have recognized that pie is THE prime dessert anyway, then good gravy, go buy this book! There are pies for EVERY season. It’s perfect for any kind of party you might be hosting.

This book was so good, you might say.... it's to pie for.* 

xoxo

Char 

*sorry