Some of you may already know Jennifer Perillo, the food writer and recipe developer behind the wildly popular food blog In Jennie’s Kitchen. If you don’t, allow me to introduce you to one of the most talented and expressive bloggers–and now cookbook authors–this side of of your wifi. 

Jennifer Perillo' Homemade with Love on Cool Mom Picks

There’s a sometimes heartbreaking, often hysterical, and always endearing emotional honesty with which Jennie shares herself online. Her food comes to us straight from the heart, and now we can get even more of Jennie’s delicious cooking and heartfelt stories in a wonderful new cookbook, Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie’s Kitchen .

Jennie fans rejoice: This is exactly the cookbook we’ve been hoping that she would write. Full of easy scratch recipes, Homemade with Love strikes the perfect balance between serving up new dishes–Chickpea, Parmesan & Fennel Salad (below) is among my favorites–and making sure that we have her signature recipes–like pizza dough and ingenious Lentil Ricotta “Meatballs”–in one, easy to access place. 

Chickpea Fennel Parmesan salad on Cool Mom Picks

Yes, Jennie will encourage you to create some basic ingredients from scratch (your call, of course), but there’s plenty for you in this book even if you can’t imagine making homemade ricotta cheese.

Although really, how proud would you be if you whipped it up?

Jennie's homemade ricotta cheese on Cool Mom Picks

A single mother of two young girls herself, Jennie understands that sometimes we need to cook fast and furious. She just also believes that scratch cooking can be simple and that it will save you dinero, too. Be careful or she just might inspire you.

Whether a dish inspired by her family or a cake made for her daughters, a pie made in honor of her late husband, or a drink made for visitors warmly welcomed into her home, Jennie’s food is what home cooking is all about. Fresh, seasonal, sometimes quick and easy, other times more involved, laid back no matter what and always–always–made from scratch with love. With Jennie’s help, yours can be, too. –Stacie 

Buy your copy of Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie’s Kitchen from our Amazon affiliate or at your local independent bookstore.