Two recent cookbooks aim to make upscale eating at home easy.

First is the comically good “Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s” by Deana Gunn and Wona Miniati. The concept is simple – shop at the increasingly ubiquitous home of bargain gourmet foods, then turn your finds into fine meals.

The authors have tapped into the way a growing number of Americans are cooking – combining semi-prepped items with fresh ingredients to produce good food in less time.

Then there’s “Gourmet Made Simple” by Gena Knox, who runs grilling goods company Fire & Flavor. She offers simple, easy recipes that are worthy of summer entertaining.

Her smoked strawberry mozzarella crostini and planked portobello panzanella are particularly appealing, as is the olive lamb burger with mint gremolata.