Get Cookin'!!

Ina Garten a.k.a The Barefoot Contessa a.k.a my favorite!

I absolutely love her recipes.

When I got married 3 1/2 years ago I could hardly make scrambled eggs- I mean making Kraft macaroni and cheese was a risk for me in the kitchen. Well, I have to say 3 1/2 years of marriage whooped me into a cook!

At one point I wouldn't go near an oven, let alone a microwave, I hated to cook. However, I have since developed a huge interest in the art of cooking. See, that was my first problem. I was walking up to the oven with the mind-set that cooking was a chore, a laborious task which was an exact formula to create another dreaded chore, washing dishes.

Well, I didn't really have a choice in the matter- I had to take on the kitchen! ... here I was, a newly-wed and I had a new hungry husband, whose favorite question is "what's for dinner?" I didn't know the answer!

So what did I do? I ran! Ran to my mother-in-love, that is.
She was the light at the end of the tunnel! She taught me the ART of cooking- that cooking could be fun and a creative process. She introduced me to The Barefoot Contessa.
I cannot thank my mother-in-love enough for saving my husband's hungry stomach and my wits!
The kitchen is my favorite spot in the house now, I sometimes refer to it as my art studio because I love creating new dishes, trying new recipes, and experimenting with food presentation ( the funnest part!)

Food really can be art- the sense of color you choose to incorporate and the use of different textures. Plus, shape, size, and structure of the presentation.

If you're looking for some new inspiration in the kitchen pick up one of Ina Garten's cookbooks. Her Paris cookbook and her Back to Basics are my top two picks, but you really can't go wrong with any of them.




Get cookin'!!

This is on my menu this weekend ....

From Back to Basics, Ina Garten:

"Sole Meuniere"
1/2 cup all purpose flour
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh sole fillets, 3-4 oz.ea.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice ( 3 lemons )
1 tablespoon of minced fresh parsley

-------
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. have 2 heat-proof dinner plates ready.

1. Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper in a large shallow plate. Pat sole fillets with a dry paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a large (12in.) saute pan over medium heat until is starts to brown. Dredge 2 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place in hot butter.
3. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooking, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the pan.
4. Carefully put fish fillets on the oven-proof plates and pour sauce over them. Keep the cooked filets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 2 fillets.
5. When they're done, add cooked fillets to the plates in the oven. Sprinkle with parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.

YUMMMMMMM! so easy, super quick, exceptionally delicious!

I think some roasted parmesan asparagus would compliment this dish perfectly!

Bon Appetit!


Here are some pics of Ina's kitchen....






and here's her store in the Hamptons on Long Island...