First I will say I love cookbooks! Secondly, Ina Garten has been a
favorite of mine for so long now I can't even remember when I first
saw her. I watch her religiously on the Food Network channel
whenever she's on. This may sound odd, but for me she has a
comforting nature. When I watch her show I'm just relaxed and
really enjoying watching her putting together her recipes in that
easy way that she has.
This latest cookbook of hers is fabulous. First of all it's a
beautiful book from the front cover to the wonderful pictures of
the recipes themselves inside the book. The photos are bright,
vivid and inviting and definitely have your mouth watering! The
book is separated into sections like breakfast, lunch, dinner and
my most favorite-desserts.
Ina's introduction to this edition is great and not to be bypassed
on your way to the recipes. Here's a quote from Ina that I really
think sums up her cooking style, "I don't see why we can't buy
perfectly good ingredients in a grocery store, cook them simply,
and serve an absolutely delicious meal that will delight everyone
at the table". This is one thing I really enjoy about using Ina's
recipes-she takes ordinary ingredients that I can get at my local
store and she doesn't make it a complicated process for someone to
put them together into a tasty and wonderful meal. The recipes in
this book are very easy to follow and most don't include a list of
ingredients that is so long that you're scared to even contemplate
trying it out.
A few recipes that I've tried from this book and that I've seen her
cook on her show are the Parmesan & Thyme Crackers. These are
so yummy and perfect for a party or get together with a few
friends. For me, parmesan is a staple in my kitchen and these
simple crackers have a not so simple flavour-they are easy enough
to make but at the same time, delectable. Her Cream of Fresh Tomato
Soup I've made with fresh tomatoes from my back yard. The onion and
garlic flavors along with the heavy cream mixed in make this a
heavenly soup. As for a dessert which is my favorite meal, I vote
for the Brownie Pudding-butter and cocoa-need I say more. Yummo!
A few recipes I really want to try but haven't yet are the
Old-Fashioned Carrot Salad that's made with rasins, sour cream,
mayo among other things and it sounds divine if you're a lover of
these kinds of ingredients as I am. Another is the Parmesan-Roasted
Broccoli-doesn't the title of the recipe itself make your mouth
water-it does mine. It's got more of my favorite ingredients like
garlic and parmesan; the only thing I would leave out is pine nuts
as I'm allergic but this is definitely another recipe I plan on
trying soon.
There are just so many amazing recipes to try in this book and it
will take me a while to make it through ones I've marked as my
favorites. For those who really like Ina Garten and her cooking
style as I do, this newest book of hers is a must. For those who
love to cook, it's a must and for those who maybe aren't so
talented in the kitchen, this is really an easy book to follow and
you may just surprise yourself with some of the delights you can
make in your very own kitchen.
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten was released by
Random House on October 28.