A cookbook I think you'll love

Have you seen this book? 

I had not until recently.
Kind of a funny story...Julie at Blissfully Content is the neighbor/friend of my friend, Kimberlee.  Anyway, Julie loaned this book to Kimberlee and on my recent visit to see her she shared it with me.  It's such a lovely book that I had to order it from our library so I could drool pour over the pages. 
So far, I love everything about it! 
First of all - I love the look of it.  The photographs are beautiful...lots of farm animals in peaceful settings.  Makes you want to drive to the country (if you don't already live there).  The pictures of the food are so appealing too. 
Then there is the feel of it. The pages are so nice.  They are thick and a matte finish rather than glossy.  I think the pictures are enhanced by the fact that there is no glare from the use of glossy paper.  Each two page spread features a recipe and farm style photos.
The recipes are simple, yet delicious.  So far, I've tried two and both have been really good.  I can't wait to try more. 
The ingredients are basic and the instructions uncomplicated.  The result - food the whole family will like and be nourished by.

Banana Bread...muffins

The topper for me is that this isn't just a book on prairie style food (I was sort of expecting a modern day Little House on the Prairie type of theme by the name of it), but rather, it's a farm book -encouraging us to eat, natural, whole foods grown on local farms.  Not everything featured in this book is "organic", but it is all natural, pesticide free, GMO free.  Local farm food is clean food that doesn't have to travel thousands of miles to your super market.
I also love that she says that gardening, harvesting, baking, cheese making, preserving, pickling and more are all "artisanal practices"!  YES!  Homemaking is so underrated. You know, some may see these things as a way to save money {and they are!}  Some may see these things as old fashioned and time consuming {and they are that too} but I sure have a lot of fun blessing my family with homemade goodness that I know is not only satisfying and delicious, but healthy too.
I encourage you to add this book to your summer reading list. 
Below is the recipe for Vegetable Bread Pudding.  Kimberlee served this to us for lunch when we visited. ALL of my children loved it and so did I - so much so that I'll be making it in a day or two for us to enjoy again.

1 large onion, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cups fresh spinach, cooked and strained
2 cups ripe Roma tomatoes (or other small plum tomatoes, diced.)
1 baguette, cut into 1 " think slices
2 cups thinly sliced cooked red potatoes
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
sea salt and ground pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a skillet saute the onion in olive oil until tender.  Add the spinach and tomatoes.  Cook 1 minute more and remove from heat.

3.  In a 12" cast iron skillet or ovenproof dish, layer half of each: baguette slices, potatoes, and cheese, in that order.  Top with all the onion, tomatoes, and spinach mixture.  Add the remaining baguette slices, potatoes, and cheese. 

4.  In a bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the milk, Tabasco and salt and pepper, and pour over the layered bread and vegetables in the skillet.

5.  Bake, uncovered for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center of the pudding comes out clean.

Serves 4-6