it's hard to rely on my good intentions...

...when the end of the school/activities year is upon me and there are several other projects going on simultaneously. do i pick the worst time to engage in personal endeavors? you bet.

we've had a garage sale. and preparations for the garage sale. organizing and tossing stuff. sick kids. running to school. dance. gymnastics. music. making up missed dance, gymnastics and music sessions. you know - typical stuff.

so, you'll be happy to know i didn't completely slack off with my barefoot contessa recipe replicating in these couple of weeks...
i only dropped the ball last week. ;-)
and that was upon discovering the dish i picked to make required me to make a trip to the grocery store for fish. i wasn't feeling the grocery store vibe with the other errands and things that needed my attention.

c'est la vie.

i'll be chatting about what i have made, so far, in the next series of posts...hopefully, every few days as i have time to jot down my notes on what i did and how things turned out.

so, without further adieu...

i tried making the chicken salad sandwhich recipe from back to basics, being a complete chicken myself, knowing i was heading into a "busier than normal" schedule and needing something totally easy. this recipe fit the bit. and, it's nice to know that easy doesn't mean "it's going to taste mediocre". on the contrary. the flavor was fantastic.

my personal notes on it: i'm not a huge mayo fan. normally, large quantities of mayo sends shivers down my spine. i find fingernails on a chalkboard more appealing than the though of someone glopping mayo on a BLT sandwhich, dumping it over cucumber salad or dipping their finger in a container of mayo to take a taste (which, no joke, my daughter did the other week and i almost tossed...).

ketchup, however, completely different story...

and, when i say "large quantities" of mayo, i mean anything over a few tablespoons in a recipe. so, this was a little bit of a challenge. the recipe called for 3/4 cup. i had light greek yogurt on hand and some fat free sour cream. no mayo in the house. the recipe still turned out great and i don't feel like the flavor was compromised with the reduced fat and fat free condiments. i think part of that was due to roasting the chicken with generous amounts of salt and pepper as chicken is basically a bland piece of meat when you straight cook it. the fresh tarragon leaves were essential in that flavor boost, too, so if you can help it, don't skimp there.

and, because i'm a baker, i made ina's chocolate chunk cookies. you can find this in her barefoot contessa parties! book. i couldn't resist taking a picture of these beauties. i have always struggled finding a good chocolate chip cookie recipe. mainly because i feel like the cookies flatten out, flatter than a pancake, in the oven while they're baking. i like "plump" and soft chocolate chip cookies. when i make the nestle recipe, they're flatter than flat and crisp. which, granted, some people like. and, i've always altered chocolate chip cookie recipes by throwing blended oats into my flour. at that point, i feel like i'm making a neiman marcus cookie rather than a classic chocolate chip.

you get the picture.

or do you?



ina's recipe for chocolate chip - oops...i mean, "chunk", cookies did not disappoint. they were soft and chewy and stayed that way for days. and, yes, the cookies survived the house for more than days...a good week. i omitted the walnuts due to a member of our household being allergic to them. they still rocked.

i'll continue my recent barefoot contessa exploits soon. my kids need help playing fairy dress-up right now...and i'm a little scared that my son is donning wings and trying to fit sequined shoes on his feet.

my (culinary) hero.

This lady:

is my hero of the kitchen. I've watched Barefoot Contessa for years. My kids know her by name (well, does the name "Barefoot Contessa" count?). (Hmmm...this is a touch embarrassing, I suppose). I think Ina's truly fantastic.

Why?

Because she makes everything in the kitchen truly effortless.

Now, yes, of course cooking and baking are effortless tasks when you have a whole crew at your disposal, setting up everything, measuring out the ingredients, cleaning the dishes and pots you used to prepare the meal, putting them away, having a kitchen the size of a small home at your disposal...

And, I suppose it helps not having little children tugging at your leg or hiding behind you because one child is teasing the other, while you're using sharp implements at the counter...

And, surely, there's no crying or the need to break up fights every few minutes as you're trying to calmly saute something on the hot stove.

Okay, okay...

My point is, even with all that going on, I - you, whomever - can pull these meals off even with Armageddon occurring all around.

And, to me, that's an awesome thing.

So, this is where the whole "Barefoot in the Kitchen" blip at the top of my blog comes into play...

I'm going to be preparing a couple of Ina's recipes (yes, Ina and I are on a first-name basis, here - hehehe) each week. I may have a photo, I may not, but what I will definitely have is my honest opinion of the recipe - was it hard to prepare? Was it satisfying? Garbage-worthy? So, it's, in part, a personal challenge. I'm really the baker of the household. My husband is the cook. This allows me the ability to prove to myself that I can cook. And, that I can make some of these trickier meals. And, that I have a little "Barefoot Contessa" in me, too.

Stay tuned...