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Summary: She's done it again
Review: Mrs. Garten is back with another book of good comfort food that's just a cut above the Betty Crocker stuff. Some is low-carb, some isn't and so of course, it's all good to me. Really, you can't go wrong with these recipes, but maybe that's just me. Keeps my honey happy whenever I make something from "The Barefoot Contessa!" Thanks again for the wonderful food!
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Summary: Dazzle Your Friends/Family with Ina's Elegantly Simple Food
Review: Ina Garten has created a gem of a book for family entertaining. All the recipes are filled with simple, quality ingredients that are prepared in a way that lets their flavors and character shine through. This book is about spending time with your company (which is what I found myself doing more of when I used these recipes for entertaining). There's nothing over the top here, but the recipes are the kind that you can proudly serve your guests and actually be at the table with them to soak up the compliments. A real winner!
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Summary: WONDERFUL
Review: I love the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. They provide easy recipes with simple to find ingredients. I think that this would be a wonderful wedding gift as this book provides some of the basic recipes and does not make them so frightening for the new cook.. I love Ina's style of cooking, simple yet elegant. Her other 2 books are wonderful too, if you have one, you must have them all!
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Summary: the best!
Review: I have all three of Ina's cookbooks and whenever I have company these are the only cookbooks that come out now!! Every thing is easy to prepare and I get rave reviews from everybody! Including my kids! Thats impressive alone! The best cookbooks I have ever used, plus there are pictures off all the recipes, which I like. You will not be dissapointed.
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Summary: Just like her other books
Review: Sure some of Family Style's recipes are basic-- but that's Ina's style. A direct quote from one of her books states that her food is " familiar, but better than you remember". Her first two cookbooks contain the most basic of basic recipes-- things like Roast Chicken, Lemonade, Apple Crisp, Chocolate Cake, Apple Cider, and even a cup of Coffee are all included. How is that so different from Iced Tea, French Toast and Blueberry Muffins? The answer is, it's not. Ina's recipes are hardly, if ever, outlandish. She works at writing recipes for good tasting, approachable, cook-friendly food. That's the point of her work. The food isn't poles apart from food most of us grew up with (other than the fact that it's a hundred times tastier)-- but should she put goat's cheese in her fish and chips, so that she could claim her recipes "different"?I personally think Ina to be a terrific cookbook author. I've tried several recipes from her newest book-- Thumbprint Cookies, Banana Sour Cream Pancakes, and Chicken and Biscuit Stew to name a few-- and, as I expected, all were terrific. And when it comes down to it, that's all I expect from a cookbook.
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Summary: The pros and cons of this one..
Review: First off, let me say that I use this book often and, for the most part, I absolutely LOVE it. The first recipe I tried, Sagaponack Corn Pudding, was truly different from other corn pudding recipes I'd tried, living up to Garten's promise that it would not be bland - and it wasn't - nor was it too spicy. It had some added flavor thanks to cheddar cheese and fresh basil but those with less experimental tastes could leave out the basil (as I did when we had small children at dinner one evening) and it would still be delicious.
Another plus to this cookbook: Many of the recipes are not only family-friendly but easy to throw together. There are also plenty of dishes for vegetarians as well as meat eaters, making meal planning easy. Nearly every recipe I tried was wonderful, with the minor exception of the Chicken Noodle Soup (I prefer my recipe).
Now the caveat: If you like extremely exotic or unusual foods, this may not be the ideal cookbook for you. While there ARE recipes which are new and different (like the Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash or a truly different and yummy Espresso Ice cream, better than any I've had thus far), MOST of the recipes are updated versions of familiar favorites..Rice Pilaf, Hashed Browns, Fried Chicken, etc. Professional or gourmet cooks may want something more challenging.
But I've had a hard time finding cookbooks which contain tasty recipes I can serve, night after night, and still keep my family happy and well-fed while minimizing my kitchen time. For those purposes, this one fits the bill. And if you happen to have any guests drop in at meal time, you can bet they'll be happy too!
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Summary: Ina does it again!
Review: Ina Garten now has her very own show with the same title on the food network. Her show demonstrates how really simple and easy recipies can be and still taste great! Her instructions are simple and the photos do a great job of showing the recipie. I have used a lot of recipies in this book for guests and parties, and they always ask for more!
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Summary: great for what it is, a family cookbook
Review: So far, I've tried the two frittata recipes, and they're great. I'm looking forward to trying other recipes. This cookbook is great for what it is, a family-oriented cookbook.
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Summary: great recipes! i love to try more !!
Review: I love her cooking shows, and now I love her cookbook. Every recipe I tried is good and easy!!! My husband couldn't be happier! Strongly recommended to food lovers!
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Summary: Great Food
Review: I tend to disagree with some of the negative reviews. I have cooked many of the recipes for guests and have had many requests for the recipes. The lasagna is wonderful and EASY, the spinach is very good, the chicken and biscuits is a crowd pleaser, etc. I am very happy with my book - and have given many copies as hostess gifts.
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