Culinary fairy godmother Ina Garten wrote a cookbook for real life: ‘We’re all kind of exhausted’
Like many of us, culinary legend Ina Garten was overwhelmedwhen the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and it prompted her to rethink the way she made weeknight dinners and food for small gatherings.
Fast forward to a few years later, and she’s put what she learned into “Go-To Dinners,” the latest Barefoot Contessa cookbook, out now. It’s filled with recipes for simple meals including many make-ahead dishes that can be frozen and reheated.
“Everybody’s really kind of struggling because everything seems so much harder,” Garten tells USA TODAY. “And we’re all kind of exhausted. So I just thought, the easier I can make recipes for people the happier they’ll be.”
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The book includes recipes for “Overnight Mac Cheese,” “Chicken in a Pot with Orzo,” and “Cacio e Pepe Asparagus.” It even includes recipes that require no cooking at all, just assembly with store-bought ingredients.
During the pandemic, Garten posted on Instagram to ask if her followers knew what to do with groceries that had been in the pantry for some time. She found that people were having trouble finding what to make with items with a long shelf life like beans.
So, she started posting daily recipes on the social media platform in an effort to help. It became quite a commitment though.
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“In the middle of all that I was making breakfast, lunch and dinner for Jeffrey and me,” she says, referring to her husband. “It was just overwhelming. And I thought, ‘I really need to rethink how I make dinner.'”
Roasted salmon with vanilla and brown butter is sure to impress
Especially when hosting company, whether you can make a big dinner shouldn’t be a barrier. What’s really so special about food, Garten says, is that it brings people together.
“If you say, ‘I love you, come to dinner,’ who’s gonna say no? Everybody says yes,” Garten says, repeating the invitational phrase she also uses in the cookbook.
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