Barefoot Contessa At Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over And Over Again Quotes
"A good home should gather you up in its arms like a warm cashmere blanket, soothe your hurt feelings, and prepare you to go back out into that big bad world tomorrow all ready to fight the dragons."
"It's often said that first impressions count when you're meeting someone new and I think it's the same for a house. How people feel when they walk in the door really sets the mood."
"For me, it's good music, great smells from the kitchen, pretty flowers, and a quiet, relaxed atmosphere."
"My house is all about the kitchen. The kitchen is like the heartbeat of the house; it's what's going on and where we always end up."
"The best way of all to make a house into a home is to have the smells of good food coming from the kitchen."
"Plan an outdoor party as though it's going to be a perfectly gorgeous night. Then, start all over again and plan the entire party as though you're expecting a hurricane."
"Outdoor parties can be really wonderful when they click. The sun is soft, the flowers are fragrant, and the gentle breeze in your hair feels so good."
"At the end of the day, everyone—even the CEO of a major international corporation—just wants a simple, delicious meal and a good conversation with friends."
"There’s no substitute for the host actually being present at a party."
"Familiar food relaxes everyone, especially the host."
"Making a complicated, expensive dinner doesn’t flatter them nearly as much as spending the evening talking to them."
"The best parties are the ones where the host and hostess are having fun, so relax, pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy your own party."
"Allowing the potatoes to steam after you boil them results in evenly tender—but still firm—potatoes."
"I’m always looking for a way to give classic recipes a twist that gives them more flavor."
"To toast pine nuts, put them in a dry sauté pan over medium heat, tossing often, for 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned."
"Israeli—or pearl—couscous has larger grains and cooks differently, so don’t use it for this recipe."
"If every dish on your plate hits you in the head with flavor, it will give you a headache. Some tastes need to be quiet in order to balance with others that are strong."
"Cooking isn’t all that different from those high school science projects except that, instead of hydrochloric acid, you end up with chocolate cupcakes."
"Don’t be tempted to heat the buttermilk with the whole milk; it will curdle."
"Garlic burns easily so you want to cook it for only a minute."
"Grate the Parmesan and Gruyère on the coarse side of a box grater for this dish."
"I don’t especially like cauliflower, and for years, the only way I’d eat it was smothered in cream sauce."
"Years ago I came across this recipe in a wonderful book called Spa Food by Edward J. Safdie."
"Whenever I worked in the kitchen at Barefoot Contessa, I’d make huge pots of it. It’s healthy and it’s delicious."
"I’ve always liked science. In high school, I was an okay student, but when it came time for the annual science fair, I came alive."
"It’s surprising how the sweetness of the strawberries balances the acidity of the balsamic vinegar."
"My test of whether something really tastes like chocolate is if I can taste it with my eyes closed."
"I spend most of my time in the kitchen washing and chopping, so I positioned the sink and the butcher block with a dead-on view of the kitchen garden behind the house."
"Of course, we all have a dream kitchen in our minds and we all have to compromise."
"For my next kitchen, I’d love a screened dining porch and a wood-burning oven."
"But my guide for kitchens is the same as for cooking: keep it simple and make sure you’re planning a space in which to have a very good time."
"I love when accidents turn out better than the original."
"It’s the pieces of butter in the dough that make the difference between light and flaky scones and those hockey pucks we’ve all had at one time or another."
"Why are most bran muffins so dry and tasteless?"
"Your family won’t even know these muffins are good for them!"
"You can assemble these the night before and bake them before breakfast."
"A big frittata solves that problem, but it’s a lot of cutting and chopping for two people."
"Everyone knows how to cook bacon but I have two special tricks."
"It turned out to be a delicious—and healthy!—parfait of fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola."
"I make it with McCann’s quick-cooking oatmeal and it’s so satisfying."
"This cake is as close as I could come to my memory of that flavor and texture."
"It’s not too sweet and not too tart; it’s easy to make and you’ll have enough to give away as hostess gifts."
"Irish soda bread is a really easy way to have a gorgeous hot bread come out of the oven without dealing with yeast and all those risings."
"At Harry’s Bar the Bellini, a drink named after the Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini, is always made with fresh peach purée."
"Most Bloody Marys are just flavored tomato juice and vodka; I like mine with lots of flavor and texture."
"They also make gorgeous arrangements to send to that special someone."
"The best meals are those prepared by loving hands."
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication in the kitchen."
"Food is not just nourishment; it's a comfort, a celebration, and a way to bring people together."
"A well-stocked pantry is like a palette for creating culinary masterpieces."
"Cooking is both simpler and more necessary than we imagine."
"The art of dining well is no slight art, the pleasure not a slight pleasure."
"Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts."
"Elegance in the kitchen is the result of attention to detail."
"The joy of cooking comes from the heart, making every dish a story worth sharing."