Lovely Things

Ina Garten is #39 on Gourmet's List of 50 Women Game-Changers in Food.   Since receiving her very first book, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, in 1999 and reading it cover to cover I have been a huge fan of Ina.  She is everything I embrace about cooking and entertaining.  I make so many of Ina's dishes every week that I had a difficult time choosing a recipe.

photo:  Food Network

What I like about Ina's recipes is that often I can come up with something wonderful to make without even making a trip to the market.  From Ina I've learned what to keep in my pantry and refrigerator so that I'm always prepared.  She makes everything beautiful, but not complicated.  That's what I love.  I designed my kitchen, on smaller scale after her barn kitchen.  I loved the symmetry, the black, white and natural palette and the open shelving.  The recipe I chose to highlight is one that I made last Saturday for lunch.  It was one we had never made before, but as we were flipping through Ina's cookbooks, we came across this recipe for Chive Risotto Cakes.  Delicious, easy...it did not disappoint.

With simple ingredients like arborio rice, panko bread crumbs, eggs, Greek yogurt, fontina cheese and fresh chives which I grow year round...Chive Risotto Cakes made for the perfect weekend lunch with a simple green salad.

Mary from One Prefect Bite started this project and I found out about it from Sue of The View From Great Island.  The following bloggers post recipes and stories every Friday.  Check out what they've featured for Ina Garten. 

Val - More Than Burnt Toast

                                                           Joanne - Eats Well With Others
                                                           Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
                                                           Susan - The Spice Garden
                                                           Heather - girlichef
                                                           Miranda of Mangoes and Chutney
                                                           Mary - One Perfect Bite
                                                           Barbara - Movable Feasts
                                                           Jeanette - Healthy Living
                                                           Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
                                                           Linda A - There and Back Again
                                                           Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits,
                                                           Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen
                                                           Nancy - Picadillo
                                                           Claudia - Journey of an Italian Cook
                                                           Kathy- Bake Away With Me 
                                                           Alyce - More Time at the Table
                                                           Amrita - Beetles Kitchen Escapades