Countdown to the New Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

When I was in college and law school, I thought it was un-feminist to cook.  At some point, I got tired of take-out burritos, moved into a house with a real kitchen, and started buying kitchen gadgets.  It was time for me to learn to cook.  

I asked one of my fabulous-cook friends her secret.  "Ina Garten," she whispered.  I promptly went out and bought Ina's Barefoot Contessa cookbook.  

I worked my way through that book and through nearly all of her following books: Barefoot Contessa Parties, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Barefoot in Paris, and Barefoot Contessa at Home.  Some of the recipes challenged my nascent skills (see the marshmallow disaster of 2003), but I learned a lot about making simple food delicious (roasting) and embracing butter (see any Barefoot Contessa dessert).  

Ina's latest book, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, comes out on October 28th.  For those of you, who can't wait to try the new recipes, here are a few: butternut squash salad and mustard roasted fish, easy sticky buns, roasted turkey roulade and baked sweet potato fries. You can find more new recipes by watching Ina's show on the Food Network, starting Saturday, October 18.