The Homemade Kitchen: Recipes for Cooking with Pleasure: A Cookbook

The Homemade Kitchen is full of beautiful, clean photos of food and the author’s family. They are the kind of photos that draw you in, if I had seen this book on the shelf I would have grabbed it, even if I hadn’t heard anything about it and didn’t have time to look at the back cover. I know they say never judge a book by its cover, and I don’t in the negative way, but I’ve got to say that sometimes a nice cover will draw me TO a book. This book has one of those covers.It’s also full of stories. I’m a sucker for stories! The author included personal stories with every recipe. Some of them are long, a lot of them are just small blurbs, but each idea has something to help the reader connect to it. Which is nice, because some of these tutorials and recipes (such as Kefir or Turkish Breakfast) are for things I have never heard of. After reading the authors descriptions I am making plans to try cooking things like Kimchi Breakfast Tatas, even though I haven’t previously had a strong desire to try kimchi. Hopefully it’s great!Near the start of the book is a section called “Be a Beginner.” It includes things like how to cook an egg, how to cook a vegetable, how to turn fruit into jam, etc. I love these simple how to’s! As weird as it seems, I had never actually fried an egg before. I’ve just always been convinced that I didn’t like them, but reading this book I realized I had never actually tried one. Now I have, and the information was easy to follow, with delicious results. I didn’t have to look anything up online either, which is nice, because sometimes I just don’t want to.This book is all about eating as well as you can, and it’s not condescending or patronizing. It’s very easygoing, and I appreciate that. And the food is very approachable! There are so many recipes in here that I still want to try. And there are tips too! All sorts of tips that I never knew I needed, but now have at my fingertips. So much knowledge shared, without anything feeling pushy.My favorite recipe in here so far is the Asparagus Carbonara. I haven’t yet been able to make it exactly as written, because some of the ingredients were out of season or unavailable for me to find, but there are variations listed with the recipe (that helped me immensely) as well as just things I decided to try. I’ll post my heavily modified carbonara recipe below, but be forewarned that I don’t always measure things closely. I didn’t really measure anything for this recipe. And of course I don’t have a picture, so you’ll have to use your imagination.The author has a blog that you can find here. The writing style is much the same as in the book, so give it a peek and see if you like it.Shortly after I brought this book home I decided I just had to add it to my collection, so I am now a proud owner. I love it so much it hasn’t even made it to the bookshelf yet! So far it has been going back and forth between the coffee table and the kitchen.Definitely try this book out if you like story based cookbooks with lots of pictures and multiple types of recipes- it’s fantastic

You know how sometimes you buy a cookbook because it's beautiful or really hyped and you never cook out of it? (Ok, all my River Cafe cookbooks. Actually I'd say most of my restaurant cookbooks are only very lightly used). This is not one of those. I bought this (used) without any expectations, I just loved the cover and the chapter contents were unique. But I use it ALL THE TIME.I feel empowered as a homemade cook again from cooking out of this book in a way that I don't when following expensive, complex recipes in Food & Wine magazine with mediocre results.The very first sections are elementary, basic cooking how-to's. I started with "How to Cook an Egg" and having cooked eggs for 20 years I kind of rolled my eyes. But then I tried her easy, straightforward methods with my morning eggs over the next few days and lo and behold, I finally cooked a delicious poached egg that didn't escape all over the place, and made delicious scrambled eggs that weren't the least bit rubbery. Her recipes are concrete if you want them to be, but they're also methods in the sense that you can tweak ingredients if you want, or make up your own creations with what you have on hand (so your "savory galette" might feature squash or kale, or both, or neither). There are some fun, unique recipes (homemade animal crackers, preserved lemons, kefir) and some practical, seasonal recipes that will quickly use up your garden's harvest (stuffed winter squash, berry pie). And again, i love the practical how-to's, from how to use fresh herbs in your cooking to tools that help food last longer.

Very pleased with everything.

Binding is horrible and fell apart after only a couple of days.

I've cooked meals for my family for more years than I like to remember and, for too many of them, fixing dinner was, at best, a chore and, at worst, drudgery. I love my family and was pleased when they enjoyed the meal, but I was usually too busy and too tired to enjoy cooking it. Now that I'm no longer working and the kids are grown, cooking for the whole family is a joy that I look forward to. Reading through this cookbook made me excited to try a bunch of new dishes and to revamp some old favorites. The descriptions are enticing, the ingredients simple and the instructions clear. I'm a pretty good cook and can generally tell when a recipe is going to turn out well or not, and these look great. Good ingredients cooked well are always a hit and I expect to use this cookbook often. I especially appreciate the many photographs that punctuate the book. Many times, as I leafed through, I was stopped cold by the photo of something that I wanted to try. Thank you, Alana Chernila, for this wonderful resource! I've enjoyed reading it and I know my family will enjoy the results.

So far every single thing we have cooked from this book has dazzled my family. the chicken pot pie took some effort but was the single best thing I have tasted in months. It is the pandemic quarantine and cooking is fun again; we are cooking are way through this book. The Roasted Potato Salad and Corn and Nectarine salad were so easy and fresh with simple dressings that make everything delicious. I owned the Homemade Pantry without really cooking from it, but now I am ready to dive into all Alana's recipes. Yum.

As a newlywed couple who is just starting out on our own, this book has been absolutely perfect for teaching us all of the basics while trying to eat HEALTHY HOMEMADE food. Too often cookbooks for those just starting out feature convenience recipes and skip over the basics, such as how long one should steam certain vegetables (this book provides a detailed list) and how to poach an egg (it might seem silly, but remember there was a time when you didn't know how to either!) All too often, I pick up a "beginner's" cookbook at the store only to find that it assumes you know all of the basics already! This book is jam packed with tips and recipes that beginners and experts alike can enjoy! I'd highly recommend it to anyone!

Fantastic photos, a warm and relatable writing style, and great ideas and tips for the everyday cook.I loved her first book, The Homemade Pantry, and this one is just as wonderful.

This is a lovely book to read and make delicious food from the recipes. The author is an artist with words as well as food. The photographs are beautiful too.

This is more than just a book of recipes. It's a book to read and enjoy her stories. Curl up on the couch with a cuppa and dive in!

Good