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Summary: Ina, Ina where have you been all my life???
Review: I first saw Ina on the Food Network- her show is lively and her presentation is warm and comfortable-lucious and good looking food that appears to be easy to prepare- Ina is very down to earth- pictures and stories to match her recipes-she gives hints on food preparation that are her specific recommendations and particular product choices- it is a good thing indeed to find someone who is reliable in their product choices. Ina Garten is my kind of cook- wholesome, well prepared food that looks good enough to eat. I would use her recipes for my mother-in-law!
And her chocolate chunk cookies are to die for....
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Summary: FGFV's Thoughts
Review: I was very disappointed with this book. I thought it certainly was pricey and I expected much more then full page photographs of people I don't know and don't care to. Also I felt the childrens section was a total waste of space and paper. I am looking foward to some different ideas as I have seen so many of the receipes on her TV show which I do enjoy.
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Summary: A cookbook that helps you enjoy the party
Review: I love this cookbook! Ina's new TV show demonstrates many of these recipes, which really makes the whole process very easy. My favorites so far are the beef tenderloin with gorgonzola sauce (fabulous), the Garlic Roasted Potoatoes, and the Lemon Cake. The Lemon Cake is a staple in my summer entertaining menus; just a little whipped cream and fresh raspberries and you have a wonderful end to any meal.Most of the recipes are easy to make ahead, so you can get out of the kitchen and be with your guests.
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Summary: My 2nd favorite cookbook
Review: I fell in love with this book when I first got it. I love the simplicity of the recipes. I don't have the first Barefoot Contessa book yet, I have my mother's copy and I am hoping she forgets I have it. I recommend this book highly. I guess I must mention my favorite cookbook is The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. It's only my favorite because it is all purpose and has how to make just about everything in it--it's a great reference cookbook.
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Summary: Not necessary for library
Review: Although I have enjoyed the beautiful photographs in her new cookbook I was disappointed in the cooking portion. It is not a book the serious cook would need for their bookshelf. Many of the recipes are variations of those found in her friends homes and restaurants. I was looking for a more original approach to her entertaining and found it lacking. Unfortunately it appears to have been written for her fame rather the cooking. With only 84-85 recipes in the entire book, I would have hoped to find something besides 'Mac and Cheese'.
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Summary: Love this cookbook!
Review: I really love this cookbook. I have been reading some reviews about the high temperatureand smoke coming from the oven. this is actually a wonderful technique for roasting meats that many chefs know about. You MUST make sure that you have an impecably clean oven!
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Summary: A new approach to entertaining
Review: I love the way Ina Gartner wrote this cookbook - the style is that of your best friend confiding her best secrets for successful entertaining. Basically her tenants are that entertaining is about the guests and the hosts interacting, not the food, and that cooking should be replaced as often as possible with "assembling". Hear! Hear! This cookbook offers a wonderful *style* or approach to cooking and entertaining. Frankly, I don't think the recipes are in themselves all that special, but that's hardly the point. Gartner offers you a way to learn to entertain and to LOVE it. Thankfully, on that front, Barefoot Contessa Parties! really delivers. The book is devided into seasons and offers a complete menu for each party - a Valentine dinner, a football party, an afternoon tea, a not-Thanksgiving dinner, etc. She also offers her philosphy towards approaching the theme of the party, and also gives examples of her best and worst parties and why they worked (or didn't). Overall, the book is really entertaining in itself and makes you want to get into the spirit and have your own party, whether you use her recipes or not.
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Summary: Sooo yummy!!
Review: Let me start by saying, the Barefoot Contessa books are the first ones I take out when I'm looking for a recipe. All the recipes are so good and really very simple. It has great pictures which are so helpful and easy to follow directions. Everything I've made from her books has been great. Now I'm waiting for her next book!!
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Summary: a reader for North Carolina
Review: After hearing rave reviews about this cookbook, I skipped my usual recipe test run on my family and prepared the Academy Award menu for 8 guests last weekend. The appetizers, roasted cherry (I used grape) tomatoes and the potato recipes were very, very good, but the beef tenderloin was not. Just like the reviewer below wrote, my oven filled with smoke from the [$$$] piece of beef ....the timing for the medium rare tenderloin was not even close ( yes, I checked my oven temperature and it was correctly holding the 500 degree temp) and the seasoning was blah. I will experiment with this cookbook more, but will not experiment on my guests first!
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Summary: Great Ideas for Easy Parties
Review: I am a convert to Ina Garten's belief that parties should be fun for all, even the hostess! She tells how you can arrange as much as possible in advance so you can enjoy your guests and provide a relaxed atmosphere. She admits to having made the same mistakes we all have, such as producing individual omelets for 20 breakfast guests and never getting out of the kitchen! The recipes are great, and are grouped together for different types of parties: lunch in the garden, pizza party, Sunday breakfast. Most recipes are simple and well tested, thanks to her successful store. So I was bewildered to find that the filet of beef recipe calls for a VERY expensive cut of meat to be spread with butter and then cooked at 500 degrees! Smoke started billowing from my oven (I had to carry the meat outside!) and I had to refer to another cookbook to adjust the temperature and time. But I loved the Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Hummus, Asparagus and Snap Peas, and Orzo with Roasted Vegetables. I will be using the cookbook often, both for recipes and for approach.
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