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...