At the Library - Favorite CookBooks of 2017

I love cookbooks.

Ask my husband, and he will tell you he is always laughing at me because I flip through them constantly. I just love food - the smells, the tastes, the comfort it creates... it all just warms my heart deeply. I love having people in my home for a meal. I love being in other people's homes for a meal. Ambiance around a dinner table cannot be replaced.

While I have acquired quite a few cookbooks over the past few years, these are the three I have used most in 2017. Bill and I have decided to do meatless meals a few days a week and two of these books are vegetable centric (it also helps us get creative with what is coming out of the garden at any given time).

Heidi really brings it home with this travel inspired book - I feel like I can bring each location into my kitchen. She does a great job of limiting recipes to not too many ingredients and dang it her food is so naturally pretty. It just feels simple and elegant and attainable.

My favorite recipes? The Spring Carrots and White Beans and the Eggs in Purgatory... so so very good.

What can I even say about the Joy of Cooking? It is my go to and it feels like it has a recipe for almost anything. I cannot even name all of dishes I have cooked out of this classic cookbook and I have to say if I were to only keep one of my books, this would absolutely be it. This book has helped me grow as a cook and I have enjoyed digging into it immensely.

My favorite recipes? The Dutch Babies and the pork Vinadaloo are up there. Oh man, this book is just so much goodness in one place. I have never made a bad meal out of this one.

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Bill and I followed Andrea Bemis on Instagram before she came out with her cookbook and it really blew our minds how simply she approached things. She leaves skins on and never compromises the veggies for the sake of a pretty meal. Because she is a farmer she has so much respect for what comes from the earth. It's kind of an honor to know how a farmer prepares their food in a way, and we loved going on this journey with her and supporting her farm in this way!

My favorite recipes? The beetza is KILLER and the pumpkin granola is all the good things.

What are your favorite cookbooks and your favorite recipes from them?

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