Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese, aka The Tipsy Baker
I discovered this book in a US Airways in-flight magazine and it is a great addition to the collection of anyone who likes do-it-yourself home made recipes. In this book Jennifer explores whether it is cheaper and easier to buy items ready-made or make them at home from scratch. She covers easy to make items like yogurt, granola, Nutella, and peanut butter, to hard to make, but fun to try items like chocolate, Camembert, bacon and croissants. I have found that Jennifer's book not only provides me with good recipes, but also with the inspiration to try to make things I never thought I could from scratch.
Martha Stewart's Cooking School - Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook
When my mom first gave my this book, I thought that I would not be using it very often, but I have to say that this has been my go-to book to learn basic cooking skills. She covers many basic cooking skills from how to roast a chicken to how to make stocks and fresh pastas.
Making It - Radical Home Ec for Post-consumer World by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen
This is one of the newest additions to my collection and I am looking forward to trying the many household and beauty products described in this book. They have recipes for everything from home made tooth powder and home made shampoos to making your own beer and mead to making your own solar cooker and building your own chicken coop. I probably won't be able to try all of these recipes, but I am definitely looking forward to expanding my home ec skills.
Simply Recipes by Elise Bauer
I love this site. Elise has some great recipes and it is often the first place I look when I am experimenting with new ingredients. Every recipe I have every tried from Simply Recipes has turned out delicious and I would definitely recommend bookmarking her site!
The Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown
After seeing this book in the collection of 2 of my bread making friends, I knew it had to be part of my collection. As both of my friends described this book has all the basic recipes you will need as you explore bread making.
