Barefoot Bloggers

I'm having so much fun with Tuesdays with Dorie that I decided to broaden my food blogging horizons a bit and join the Barefoot Bloggers, a group that cooks and blogs about recipes from the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks. Joining a cooking group makes lots of practical sense for me -- I love to cook, but I hate deciding what to cook. I am not a Decider, I am a Hemmer and Hawer. My inability to decide what to cook can be so immobilizing at times that I just won't cook anything, and then feel defeated when I find myself counting out my $5.42 for yet another Little Caesar's Hot & Ready. Or alternatively, I will choose a recipe, but one that falls squarely within my comfort zone, so I never really challenge myself to become a better cook with a more expansive repertoire. So this format is just perfect: I just need to make whatever someone else tells me to make -- I can do that! And I can see already based on completed BB recipes that fellow bloggers will select a very interesting and diverse group of recipes!

I have loved Ina Garten every since I first looked through David's mom's "Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" and made the lemon grilled chicken recipe from that book. It is the simplest recipe ever, and delicious every time. That seems to be a common theme with Ina's recipes -- simple and delicious. And I find myself nodding vigorously and "Amen, sister!"-ing whenever I hear Ina share her philosophy about cooking and entertaining. She's all about enjoying fresh, simple food, making her guests feel comfortable, and having fun. I can't imagine a series of cookbooks that I'd rather cook my way through!

I can't wait to get started!