Cookbook Corner: Everyday Italian

When I was on maternity leave (awhile ago), I watched a lot of Food Network TV. It was during this time that I first saw Giada De Laurentiis's show, Everyday Italian. I really loved the dishes that she made and thought that they looked delicious and fairly easy. I was really excited when the cookbook came out that had all those good recipes that I loved watching her make.

What to expect: 125 recipes, each with a short description about the dish. You will find recipes for everything from appetizers to desserts, along with lots of mouthwatering photos. The recipes are easy to follow and I have found that the ingredients are things that I usually have on hand or can substitute easily.

I have made a bunch of the recipes and have always been very happy with the results! My copy has sauce stains and the cover has been melted from being placed on a hot burner (I was making Risotto). This is one Food Network books that I am glad to have invested in.

Best recipes:
White Bean Dip with Pita Chips p.19 - I love this dip! Easy to make and a crowd pleaser (my picky eater even likes this dip).

Caprese Salad, p. 30 - This is really simple, but extremely good. I love this dish in the summer, for me nothing says summer like tomatoes.

Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe p. 106 - Okay, sausage is not one of my favorites but this looks really good and I think that I would even like.

Basic Risotto p. 128 - If you want a sure fire recipe for risotto, then this is it. I have made this a dozen times and it has always turned out well.

Chicken Spezzatino p. 173 - This is a very easy recipe for chicken stew (see the post from June 8 for the full recipe and my deviations). This recipe lends itself to be a good sweep the kitchen type meal.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo p. 177 - Spicy, perfectly cooked shrimp! I served this over linguine (see the post from May 24) and the whole family loved it. I would make this for company!

Chocilate Tiramisu p.236 - I have not yet made this, but tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts and I think that Giada would make a mean one.

Complaints: None - I really enjoy this cookbook and it has become a "go to" book whenever I need a recipe.

Deliciousness Scale: 5 spoonfuls of yum out of 5.

Details: This review is based on the 2005 edition of Everyday Italian, ISBN: 1-4000-5258-0.