Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family: A Cookbook

Ina's recipes are easy to follow. I've tried 2 of them already and my family loved them

This is a fantastic book, as are all of Ina's books. True, this one is easier, but the title indicates family style, which means delicious and simple to me. However, there are some exotic recipes, like Tequila Lime Chicken, Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash, Espresso ice Cream, and a few others, but mainly it's updated classics. And there are many in here that I would make again. The Penne with Five Cheeses is delicious (you can substitue light cream for all of that heavy cream in a pinch and make sure your oven is completely clean to avoid smoke from the 500 degree temperature. We cleaned ours and we had no problem), the chocolate mousse was what my mother described as 'just like mothers.' And my grandmother was famous for her chocolate mousse. All of my friends love the jam thumprints, and my brother's favorite kind of pancakes is now is Banana Sour Cream (the lemon zest in it makes a great addition). The French toast has a great addition of fresh orange zest, and makes a quick breakfast. My dad's favorite is the Orange Pound Cake. He can't get enough. He brought a slice to a friend at work and she said that she wouldn't mind one bit if I made that cake every day. It is our favorite cake to bring to new neighbors, new babies, and the sick. A friend of my mom's just had a baby and we brought her this cake, in which she and her husband literally ate in two days. But my favorite would have to be the Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash. My mom and I both agree that it is just such a comforting and delicious meal. It's just so good. All in all, a great book.

For all you complainers out there who claim this book is too 'easy' and not 'gourmet', THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT!!!!! The cover even says 'Easy ideas and recipes to make everyone feel like family.' To me that indicates that there will not be difficult and challenging food that guests can't even pronounce the name. It's the kind of book that you can depend on when friends and family come over to always be good. It's comfort food and food that you're familiar with while kicking it up a notch. And it's very good comfort food. My father loves the Orange Pound Cake, which can then be turned into a Raspberry Orange Trifle. My mom says the Sagaponack Corn Pudding is better than her own, and my brother can't get enough of the raspberry cheesecake. The Tequila Lime Chicken was enjoyed by everyone. I can't wait to try more recipes for this book. (PS I may only be 12 years old, but I'm still a very good cook, or so people tell me.)

Sure some of Family Style's recipes are basic-- but that's Ina's style. A direct quote from one of her books states that her food is " familiar, but better than you remember". Her first two cookbooks contain the most basic of basic recipes-- things like Roast Chicken, Lemonade, Apple Crisp, Chocolate Cake, Apple Cider, and even a cup of Coffee are all included. How is that so different from Iced Tea, French Toast and Blueberry Muffins? The answer is, it's not. Ina's recipes are hardly, if ever, outlandish. She works at writing recipes for good tasting, approachable, cook-friendly food. That's the point of her work. The food isn't poles apart from food most of us grew up with (other than the fact that it's a hundred times tastier)-- but should she put goat's cheese in her fish and chips, so that she could claim her recipes "different"?I personally think Ina to be a terrific cookbook author. I've tried several recipes from her newest book-- Thumbprint Cookies, Banana Sour Cream Pancakes, and Chicken and Biscuit Stew to name a few-- and, as I expected, all were terrific. And when it comes down to it, that's all I expect from a cookbook.

I don't normally write in to review books, particulary cook books, but this one is an exception. I am an avid gourmet cook and I'm always looking for new cookbooks. However, I hate investing in them because I usually only end up making one or two recipes out of each book and it feels like a waste of money. Within two weeks of getting the Barefoot Contessa book, I had made almost half of the recipes - to raving reviews from family and friends.The recipes are easy and fabulous and they can easily be served for a low-key family dinner or a special dinner with company. While they could be considered gourmet, none of the recipes call for exotic ingredients which means everything is already in your pantry or readily available at the grocery store. What I particularly like is that Ina offers menu suggestions in the back of the book so all of the planning is already done for you.Most importantly, this book is family friendly. There is a section devoted to children's food including favorites like Mac and Cheese and Chicken Fingers. However, my girlfriend's 2-year old couldn't get enough of the Shrimp Scampi (one of the "adult" recipes) and that was enough to get her to buy the book too. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for easy, delicious recipes for all kinds of occassions.

I absolutely love this book! The recipes are entirely in keeping with the title... these aren't fancy or earth-shattering innovations, so people who thrive on that may be disappointed (I seem to notice a trend among some of the reviewers who have posted). They're just really wonderful versions of honest, straightforward food. The recipe for chicken and biscuits is the best I've ever made, the chicken soup is outstanding, the roasted winter vegetables are lovely, and the mashed potatoes and gravy are absolutely sinful versions of old favorites. As I'm sure you can gather from the previous list, these are recipes for things that you probably already know how to make... it's just that they're absolutely superlative versions of those things. (Much like the chocolate pudding from her Parties! book, if anyone has tried making that: it's just chocolate pudding, after all, but it's heavenly). So here's my advice: if you're convinced that you already have the perfect recipe for every standard dish under the sun, this book isn't for you. If, however, you love good food and are willing to contemplate the idea that classic dishes could be even better, give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Furthermore, I think that this would be a wonderful wedding gift or gift to someone who's just starting out: why not begin life with a collection of wonderful recipes for comfort foods?