The Homemade Kitchen

The author of this cookbook, Alana Chernila has another book out called The Homemade Pantry that I want to get my hands on because if it's anything like this book, it's a feast for the eyes and soul. 

Mrs. Chernila has a way of inspiring you with word pictures of homemade comfort and brave experiments in the kitchen. 

She discusses why we cook and who we are, and delighting in creative acts in your kitchen. She lays out a calm way of life that's just as nourishing to your bellies as it is to your family's hearts. 

The photography is outstanding. Gorgeous. The recipes are surprisingly do-able. Alana makes it look and sound easy and you find that astonishingly it is!

This is a book that not only encourages creativity it also reads in parts like a letter from a friend. I thoroughly enjoyed this!

It looks so inviting on my coffee table and when I had a spare moment to sit it often found its way into my hands. 

The recipes range from comfort food to cheese making and fermenting. From Spicey Pumpkin Hot Chocolate on page 87 to Cheesy Fish Crackers (176) to Jambalaya (272) to Preserved Lemons on page 95. 

The variety and range of delicious ideas and photos will keep you busy for a year!

She goes through the basics like roasting a chicken and using fresh green herbs, making a pickle, as well as turning your beautiful garden offerings into delightful dishes to accompany the impressive dinners you might decide to make. 

This author gives you the courage to get your hands dirty and your apron tied on. Invite people over, deliver a meal to someone, make a picnic, and have a well-fed work party. You will NOT be bored! 

This is hands down one of the best. For every reason.

*I received this copy free from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased written review.

Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer

Thief of Glory

(follow the link to the website- it will be worth your time!)

About the Book

…A boy coming of age in a time of war
…the love that inspires him to survive

 

 

For ten year-old Jeremiah Prins, the life of privilege as the son of a school headmaster in the Dutch East Indies comes crashing to a halt in 1942 after the Japanese Imperialist invasion of the Southeast Pacific. Jeremiah takes on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings when his father and older stepbrothers are separated from the rest of the family, and he is surprised by what life in the camp reveals about a woman he barely knows his frail, troubled mother.
Amidst starvation, brutality, sacrifice and generosity, Jeremiah draws on all of his courage and cunning to fill in the gap for his mother. Life in the camps is made more tolerable as Jeremiah’s boyhood infatuation with his close friend Laura deepens into a friendship from which they both draw strength.
The darkest sides of humanity threaten to overwhelm Jeremiah and Laura, as time and war will test their fortitude. The only thing that will bring them safely to the other side is the most enduring bond of all.

~___~

 

Once in awhile you come across a book that is remarkable. Unforgettable. Masterful. This book has hardship, heroics of a kind you wouldn't suspect at first, romance, suspence, and truth. I know people describe a book sometimes as a "page turner" or as one that "grabs" you. This is a book like that. One you stay up late reading long past the time you are tired and know you should be sleeping. It's good enough to suffer the consequences of a busy day with a lack of sleep.

 

How did I miss knowing about this author? His book was so extremely well written that it was like I was there, observing the events in person. I was hungry. I was imprisoned in a Jappenkamp. I was afraid and sad, and brave.

 I will never forget the characters, as they became as real to me as people I can actually touch, feel, and smell.

I was afraid to read the last chapter, because the story had been so ravishingly good I hated to end it, but also I was afraid of being disappointed, as sometimes happens with a book like this. How can it end as well as it lived? I'm grateful Mr. Brouwer gave this book it's dignity in the final pages. I was stunned.

This is not the kind of book I lend out to my friends. Sorry. Get your own. I simply will have to read it again. It's one of those!

 



 Read chapter 1 here


* "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."