Rating: 
Summary: amazing, amazing, amazing!
Review: I'm an avid home cook who owns tons of books, and this is definitely one of the best (by far). The recipes are simple to make but taste incredible!! True, they are not low fat, but totally worth every single calorie. I've made the guacamole (the best recipe ever), onion dip, split pea soup, lemon chicken, brownies (unbelievable!!!!), potato salad and more and I have yet to find one recipe that is not great. The key is in the fresh ingredients. Definitely a book worth buying, you'll use it a lot!.
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Summary: Simple yet decadent recipes even for non-cooks
Review: I had guests over twice this weekend and this fabulous cookbook saved me! Cocktail paty guests raved about the chicken satays (I used turkey breasts)--the peanut sauce is divine--and the roasted eggplant dip was devoured pretty quickly! Saturday evening guests are still talking about the roast chicken (even my husband who HATES chicken loved this one.) It came out unbelievably moist and flavorful (I couldn't find fresh thyme so I used dill, which I think I may prefer after all). All the recipes are pretty easy (even for beginners) but the finished product is so delicious and aesthetically pleasing people think you've been slaving in the kitchen all day. I can't wait to try the desserts!
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Summary: I Used To Hate Cooking...
Review: Before I found The Barefoot Contessa I hated cooking. Even after building a new home with a large, beautiful, functional kitchen, I wasn't interested. In fact my oven didn't get used for the first two months. Then a friend recommended Ms. Garten's book and I liked it because it looked pretty on my countertop. Since the day I opened it, my husband says I'm a changed woman. My first attempt at a recipe was Parker's Split Pea soup, which is as delicious as my mother's (sorry, mom) and sooooo simple. If you can use a knife to chop veggies you're 90% there. The Rosemary Whitebean soup (use FRESH rosemary or don't even bother) enticed my neighbor to ask about the aromas she could smell from her yard. I then moved on to recipes that required more focus but are easily followed like Filet of Beef Bourginon (my husband's all-time favorite) and Swordfish with Tomato and Capers with Parmesan Smashed Potatoes served at a dinner party for eight (something I never would have even considered a year ago) where a guest inquired about whom I used for a caterer! Overall, extremely well written and simple to navigate your way through each recipe. Ina's side column notes are helpful personal touches, like why to use Kosher salt instead of table salt. (I had never even heard of such a thing...) The biggest rewards are hearing guests rave about MY cooking and, of course, enjoying the incredible food in my newly-discovered kitchen.
Rating:
Summary: Sure to be a favorite cookbook!
Review: Every recipe has been wonderful - from the turkey meatloaf to the lemon capellini. I especially love the pecan bar and brownie recipes in this book. Although each recipe calls for large amounts of butter, chocolate and pecans, they make large pan fulls that can feed a crowd. The party tray photographs and tips are also fantastic and easy to recreate for your own parties. I'm looking forward to her next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth it just for the brownie recipe
Review: Simple foods, simply prepared, with excellent results. I like her attitude of buying the best you can and not messing with it much. Definitely not one for calorie counters because she can really lay on the butter, but boy, the tastes are worth it. My family is in love with the lemon grilled chicken and I have made it for seven Sundays in a row and still no one is complaining! Her breakfast section is really worth checking out.
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Summary: Wonderful company meal planner with excellent colour photos
Review: This is one of my favourite cookbooks, and I have over 120. The recipes are elegantly simple but full of flavour. Most of the dishes even a novice could put together. Remember, cooking with a recipe is just like buying something that says "some assembly required". You just have to follow directions. With a full range of menu choices from appetizers to desserts, you can plan a whole meal using dishes that harmonize together beautifully. I love the colour photographs of each dish. Some wonderful tips and hints are included as well.
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Summary: Tania Philipp
Review: Wow what a book...my husband is not a big fan of ground turkey...however after trying her turkey meatloaf, his response, "This is the best meatloaf I've ever tasted." It is simple yet faboulus food...I recommend this book to those who are just starting out. Thank you Ina!
Rating:
Summary: A must have!
Review: This is a book that everyone should have in their collection. I have purchased at least three as gifts so far. It's become my party bible! I was preparing one of the recipes last December and had difficulty locating an ingredient. I phoned the store hoping one of the staff could help. Ina called me back! I was speechless for about a minute but was thrilled to talk with her. She is terrific and had wonderful advice. She seemed so flattered that I loved her book. (The pages are beginning to stick together from all the use it gets.) Everything I have tried has been wonderful. Lemon chicken, sugar snap peas with sesame, salmon salad, roasted carrots, veggie torte, oriental noodles...everything. I e-mailed her again recently with another question and she wrote back! (She's a real person who seems so thrilled that people take an interest in food and entertaining) She's working on another book due out in the spring. This one is will be sought after I assured her. Every time I use the book I enjoy the end result even more than the last.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautifully Delicious Book!
Review: I Have always loved places like the Barefoot Contessa and was so excited that they had a cookbook. All the recapies are fabulous. I think that hummus recapie, must be the best hummus i have ever tasted and i am a true hummus lover. I made the Chocolate Buttercream cake for a BBQ at my friends house and they all raved about the cake saying it was not the best chocolate cake they have ever had! The raspberry corn muffins are also the best corm muffins ever; not to dry, not to heavy, not to greasy! And of course there are great pictures! This book is most certainly a must have.
Rating:
Summary: Sinfully Delicious!
Review: Love this book! Easy to follow and lots of great recipes specially the brownies and the maple oat scones which are to die for! If you're watching calories, this is not the book for you. The ingredients are just rich with BUTTTER but they do taste divine!
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