I'm so mad at myself for getting this book on my Kindle instead of getting the actual book. I did this because I read a review of the book where the reviewer said they hesitated to call this a 'cookbook'; it was more like a reminiscence of Jennifer Reese's experiments in making foods at home that you usually would think of as foods you just purchase at the supermarket. But this book is page after page of recipes, so if it isn't a cookbook, I don't know what is. And now I've blown $10 on the Kindle and I can't easily flip to the recipes that I'd really like to try.
This book is a delightful read. Jennifer Reese is very honest and funny. And fearless. I never, ever would have the guts to attempt some of these foods, homemade bacon, prosciutto, vanilla extract, hot dogs, napoleons, vermouth and many, many more. Like I said, many of these recipes were amusing to read about but I know I'll never make them. But some of them I definitely want to try. For instance, I've always feel guilty about throwing away stale bread. I always think to myself that if I had my act together, I'd make bread crumbs or croutons. Well, Reese includes very practical and simple steps for taking that stale bread and making those items. She's also got a recipe for melba toast, which I think sounds great for a snack or lunch with some creamy cheese. And she has a recipe for homemade Cheez-its that I want to make for my kids for Christmas. They sound so yummy. And homemade graham crackers sound great too. And I really want to make butterscotch pudding! She also has some very simple recipes for making yogurt and cheeses (well some cheeses are much more complicated than others). So scattered throughout the book are many recipes that I'd love to give a go. Alas, I'll have to hit that back and forth button on my Kindle a million times in order to find these things. Who has that kind of patience. I might have to shell out more money for the actual book.
The impetus for Reese's long journey into making things from scratch came from her losing her job and becoming suddenly very aware of the price of groceries. She's been an avid cook since she was seven year old, so she decided to compare storebought foods to homemade, mostly focusing on the price. She also explains how much 'hassle' each food is. Her idea of hassle and mine though are widely different. She loves to cook and while she grumbles about having to grate cheese or chop things finely, she thinks nothing of recipes that take days to complete. I mean days. When she's explaining how to make prosciutto she literally tells you all the steps and then says, hang in dry cool place for six months. Some things she definitely thinks are worth getting from the grocery store. She tried hard to make a good rice pudding that rivaled Kozy Shack's and she just couldn't. Same with making maraschino cherries. But most of the time she comes down on the side of making something at home or at least trying to make it at home just once, to see the difference.
In between the recipes, Reese recounts the things that were going on in her life, like her children's responses to all her experiments. A line I laughed out loud about was when her son Owen remarked, when she set out to make some laboriously complicated meal, "It's like we need a ride, so you decide to build a car." She also has lots of memories of her mother, who passed away in the midst of all these months (or years?) of cooking. That aspect was very touching. Reese really is a wonderful writer.
By the way, Reese blogs at the Tipsy Baker.
Anyway, I give this book 2 thumbs up, but don't get it on your Kindle.
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