Back to Basics was released in 2008 and has become one of my favorites of Ina Garten’s books even though it doesn’t really have many “new” recipes in it. Most of the recipes are, in fact, things that good home cooks make in rotation, but what Ina Garten does so well is really study what we’re cooking and give us tips and ideas to heighten the flavors and make our same-old, same-old into something really special. Continue reading
Oscar night is always fun and we’re looking forward to watching this year since the crop of movies has been so good. Of the nominees, so far we’ve been to see Argo, Lincoln, Django Unchained, Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty—five out of nine is pretty good for our family Continue reading
Super Bowl is next weekend and I’m thinking about good recipes for this traditional stay-at-home party day. I like to have most things made in advance for game-watching, Continue reading
Today’s post is in response to a request from my son. We had lunch recently at a wonderful gastro pub here in Orlando, The Ravenous Pig. Continue reading
After the holiday cooking marathon, I always like to simplify things for a week or two. Continue reading
I received my first copy of this classic as a wedding shower gift when I was just learning to cook. My second and third copies were inherited from my mother and mother-in-law, but their conditions weren’t so good—with well-worn dog-eared pages, stains and cracked and stringy bindings proving just how valuable they had been to their original owners. Continue reading
