Friday Faves, Week IV

80 Days into my "Year of Tessa & Barefoot Contessa" - which recipes are topping my charts, unexpected kitchen essentials and what cookbook is my current favorite!

Last October, about a week after finishing Ina Garten’s memoir, I decided to undertake a cooking challenge I have been contemplating for the last 16 years and attempt to cook every one of Ina Garten’s recipes. After the movie Julie and Julia in 2009, I felt a strong pull to do my own Tessa & Barefoot Contessa version, after all, the movie was based on a true story about a blogger, so why not? But I had two young children at the time and picky palates, so the idea was pushed aside almost as quickly as it was considered, that was until I read the memoir and thought, if not now, when? For anyone keeping track.. the movie was in 2009, 16 years later I finally decide to dive in - nine and sixteen!! Very on brand.

I am 80 days in! Even though I’m calling this challenge “a year of…” it is going to take longer, so I should have called it something else. Alas, I will cook her recipes for 365 days just not in a row. And I’m not even sure if that is long enough to make it through all of them. I’m skipping cocktails and any recipe which has a main ingredient I dislike, split pea soup - no, thank you. I’m also skipping the non-recipe recipes, like making a crudités platter. I’m trying not to over think it too much because then it starts to feel daunting and unattainable, rather, I’m just kind of figuring it out as I go.

I’m documenting most of the process on IG reels and let me just say, this has been the single most fun thing I’ve done on IG since starting the app. I only spend about 5-10 minutes editing my reels. I show up in my kitchen as I am (ok, sometimes I add a swipe of lip gloss) but I don’t pick up, there is usually a mess behind me, paper towel rolls, dish towels, my dog drinking in the background, plants that need to be watered on my counter (if you zoom in far enough you’d see an ant trap on the window sill because it’s spring and we live in an old home. The point is it’s natural (as natural as cooking with a tripod next to you can be), there is no monetary incentive behind it, I’m just inviting my IG friends into my home each day and sharing what I’m making for the simple joy of sharing and nothing more. Kind of how this whole social media thing started, right? Somewhere along the way Instagram, much like blogging, has become heavily monetized and curated. You never really know what is authentic and what isn’t. It’s been nice for me to bring back a little levity to my own feed which exists because it’s an important business tool for me, but I want it to be more than that too. I’m getting carried away here when all you want are my top recipe picks! Let’s get to it…

Here are my top 5 recipes from the past 80 days of my Ina challenge. All of these I have made more than one since first sharing, I crave them, daydream about them, and they’ve earned permanent spots in my cooking and baking rotation for life. I know, a HIGH bar. My biggest hope in starting this series was to uncover hidden gems and branch out and learn new skills and find a reinvigorated love of home cooking. All of that is happening and it brings me immense happiness and satisfaction!

1. BEST ROAST CHICKEN - I’ve lost count at this point of how many roast chicken recipes I’ve made. No one loves a roast chicken like Ina. All have been excellent (except the chicken with radishes. What was that Ina? And why does it have such high online ratings?!). But the one taking top honors is the Lemon Roasted Skillet Chicken, Day 44. It is also the most watched and liked reel. Even by Ina herself. I’m making it again this weekend and if I didn’t have more chicken to get through, this would be the only roast chicken I would make for the rest of my life. I have the butcher remove the back and breast bones for me to make it simple.

2. BEST DESSERT - This isn’t a fair category and holding myself to pick one for this post is super unrealistic and slightly annoying because I don’t want anyone to miss out on anything, but I’m going to go with the recipe that surprised me because I made it years ago and wasn’t blown away, but after I remade it for this challenge (3 times at this point if we are counting) it has replaced my former go to brownie recipe and I think about them at least once a day. Ina’s Outrageous Brownies, Day 33. OMG! What in the world did I do wrong so many years ago?! A couple things that I believe have made the difference… Hershey’s Chocolate Chips (Ina recommends them, I listened this time) and ever so slightly undercooking the brownies. I made these when I had friends over around the holidays. We could have skipped everything else and just eaten the brownies. Brownies are one of my favorite desserts and I am almost always disappointed when I get one at a coffee shop or bakery - but not with these, they are 100/10! I want one right now. You think I’m exaggerating but I will have a batch in the oven before the weekend is over.

3. BEST FISH RECIPE - This is a sleeper recipe but the one we’ve made every month since I tried it the first time. Roasted Salmon Tacos, Day 25. It’s so simple and easy to prep and has become my favorite fish taco recipe ever. I also use the simple seasoning mix as my new salmon rub all the time, even when not making the tacos. The perfect week night recipe when you don’t know what to make.

4. BEST SIDE DISH - I had never made polenta from scratch so this was new on multiple levels. It’s such a great alternative to mashed potatoes if you are wanting a little variety and easier because you don’t have to peel any potatoes. These blew us away and I crave them all the time alongside chicken, pork or even fish. Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Day 57

5. BEST RISOTTO - I hadn’t made risotto in years until I started this challenge. And now I’ve made two that have been insane. My risotto making confidence is at an all time high. Thank you, Ina! I use Ina’s advice to be mindful of the heat, the cooking risotto should be “lively” but not a rolling boil because too high of heat will result in undercooked rice, nor so low that you end up with gummy results. First I made her Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash and thought it couldn’t get any better but then I made her Wild Mushroom Risotto, Day 58 and think Jimmy and I both closed our eyes and tipped back our heads because, damn Ina, you really know what you are doing. Haha

So there you have it, as hard as that was to choose, those are my top 5 at the moment. Honorable mention is the Greek Lamb with Yogurt Sauce but I didn’t make reel of that one, even though it is highly deserving and I’ll be making it for years to come! I’ve also added so many new fish recipes to our monthly dinners like the Easy Sole Meunière that I could eat every week.

If you had asked me before I started which Ina cookbook was my favorite, I think my answer would have been Foolproof. But I might have been swayed by how often it was grabbed to make Penne Alla Vodka (my sons’ favorite Ina recipe of all time and probably the one I have made the most). If you were to ask me today, it would be Cooking for Jeffrey or Barefoot in Paris.

Lastly, here is a link to a few unexpected kitchen essentials that make my life easier.