I HAD TO PHONE A FRIEND FOR THIS ONE. Last night was a much needed ladies’ night for myself and the first friend I made in North Carolina, an outsider like me, only Therese came to Durham from Switzerland. She’s also the mother of three, two girls and one boy, but hers are older and…
tomato, basil & spinach soup with cheese tortellini (and bat croutons)
Dear Ina Garten, you know I love you and your amazing recipes, but I can no longer spend 45 minutes roasting tomatoes BEFORE the soup making process begins. That is because there are three small crazy people living in my house now. I can however, make a simpler (and healthier) version of your wonderful Roasted Tomato…
Ina Garten’s gazpacho becomes kid-friendly watermelon gazpacho
SOME RECIPES FOLLOW YOU wherever you go. The Barefoot Contessa’s gazpacho is one of them, and I’ve been making it longer than I’ve been a parent. Maybe even longer than I’ve known Paul. There were big batches blended up in small New York City apartments, at least as many in Rome and now our first…
Finally, a Chili Recipe My Kids Will Eat
MY KIDS DON’T LIKE CHILI. EXCEPT THIS WAY. There are a couple of tricks at work here. First, make some chili. Don’t put in too much cumin and skip the spicy chiles. Then swap a soup bowl for a juice glass and present those knee-high guys with this, a chili parfait. And if that doesn’t…
Lentil sausage soup with spinach (a Barefoot Contessa lentil soup makeover)
IT’S HERE! I LOVE SOUP SEASON. Even though the Roman weather keeps playing tricks on us–one day it’s cool and crisp, the next is so hot and humid that everyone is sweating before we leave the house–we’ve started making soup. And even better, we’ve started freezing soup too. This recipe makes more than enough to…
Salmon-vegetable chowder
IN TIME TO GIVE IT A TEST RUN, we’re considering this salmon-vegetable chowder from The Food Network magazine for Christmas Eve dinner. It’s packed with veggies and just enough seafood to qualify for the Feast of Seven Fishes, a catholic tradition sometimes observed here in Italy. It’s a nod to the Roman Catholic tradition of…
Homemade chicken noodle soup with extra veggies (plus baby food version)
WE HAVE SOME PROBLEMS AROUND HERE. Two nasty little colds were followed by one awful case of pink eye and own throat-scratching, coughing in the middle of the night cold. A trifecta of germs! Making matters worse, our babysitter is MIA with a stomach virus all her own. That said, a little (maybe a lot…
Ina Garten’s Lentil soup with sausage
WE LOVED IT, PHOEBE DIDN’T. Such is life, especially when you’ve got a toddler. This lentil soup, originally inspired by the Barefoot Contessa, is a favorite for Paul and me but this time I added a couple of special ingredients: lentils that Paul got from the Salone Del Gusto food festival plus fresh turkey sausage….
Ina Garten’s Roasted tomato basil soup
I’VE MADE IT BEFORE BUT THIS TIME, I ADDED A LITTLE MORE OOMPH. By now you know that I love my Barefoot Contessa. But you also might be aware of her delicious yet wildly fattening food, a dilemma for someone who is already 14 pounds heavier than usual, also trying to keep a 17-month old…
Ina Garten’s white bean and rosemary soup
I LOVE THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA. I just do. I always have, I hope I always will. Her recipes are always delicious, they inspire me to try new things and she just seems fun, doesn’t she? With that husky laugh and a button down shirt, there she is making all manner of soups, roasted chicken and…