This is me
I am in no way related to Ina Garten, though I have referred to her as "Auntie Ina" for years now. You could say there's a slight resemblance. I could pass for a niece. Chubby, Jewish, Brunette. I even have my own Jeffrey. What I do NOT have is a faaaabulous house in East Hampton. Or a posse of faaaabulous gays. I did go to senior prom with one. Does that count? It could, right?
1999 was a monumental year for me. It was the year I got married. We had a lovely wedding, and after we got back from our honeymoon in England we settled into our apartment in the Boston area. I had put away all of the wedding and shower gifts and denied myself the use of them until I was legally married. Upon returning, I could not wait to rip into the boxes full of Williams Sonoma measuring cups and spoons, Henckels knives, Emile Henry casseroles, Calphalon pots and pans, etc. To go with all of that loot was a cookbook called Barefoot Contessa. I didn't know anything about Ina at the time, and I was somewhat aware that Barefoot Contessa was a shop in the Hamptons on Long Island...about an hours drive from where I grew up. Little did I know that I not only entered a marriage with my husband that summer in 1999, but I had started a little something on the side with Ina.
Thirteen years later, we are still together. My husband and I....and Auntie Ina too. I have had a baby since then, and she's had seven cookbooks.
The first one will always be my favorite, although I love all of them (well, maybe not Barefoot in Paris). I thought I would cook my way through it with the exception of a few recipes. Certain things I just can't deal with. Like lamb. Blech. Or too much lobster. Other than that, I will force myself to make the recipes I haven't tried yet and the old favorites too. I'll document them with photographs and anecdotes. I'll even get the family in on it. I have made a deal with my fussy 9-year-old that if I do this project that he has to take at least ONE bite of everything that I make. He also wants to do some reviews as well, so we'll see how that goes!
There will be other recipes that are not Ina (oh, the horror!) scattered in-between. Usually surrounded by a holiday or other event that doesn't call for Auntie's brilliance and butter-laden treats. There will also be lots of other rambling in regards to whatever is rattling around in my head at the moment. So please, don't expect a straight up cooking blog.
YES! I know that this has been done before. I read Julie/Julia. I thought it was great even if Julie ended up being kind of bitchy and unlikeable. I know there are other blogs doing it too, but this is just something that I really want to do. If you'd like to read along with me, welcome to the party. It's going to be faaaaaabulous.
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