I did not need another cookbook. That fact didn’t stop me. It never stops me. A 40% off coupon from Borders and a little nudge from friend Roz were all I needed. Besides, Ina Garten has never let me down.
How Easy is That?
A great title for a Barefoot Contessa cookbook as it is a phrase Ina Garten often uses on her cooking show, because her recipes are easy, and I have been devouring its pages since I brought it home. Pretty tasty pages if I must say so.
While I would agree with some that this is not Ina’s best cookbook of the seven, I still enjoy it and know I will refer to it often. I know I will be making her rich beef barley soup (page 58) one cold and blustery day soon, and the picture of her wild rice salad (page 110) looks good enough to eat right now! Peppered throughout the book and on the final pages are some 68 tips to running an efficient kitchen. I’ve been cooking and baking for a long time now and most of these are things I already do, but, that’s okay. There are new cooks starting out that will take notice and, besides, it is good to be reminded that you are doing something well and tossed in between are some tips. I wish I had thought of myself.
I did laugh aloud at the tips on post-it notes, remembering a time or two that Katy good-naturedly
laughed at her barefoot mama for sticking little sheets of paper into bowls and pans: artichoke dip, salad, buns, turkey, spanakopita, paper cookies.
I positioned How Easy is That? on the shelf with my other Barefoot Contessa cookbooks, nestled against a few other favorites. My grandmother’s coffee grinder seemed to smile at me. Or, maybe it was at all the sticky notes peeking out of the pages of favorite recipes.
Now, I ask you, how easy is that?
I guess I better get our supper started!
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