Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Easy, Classy Comfort Food
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.
Rating: - The pros and cons of this one..
First off, let me say that I use this book often and, for the most part, I absolutely LOVE it. The first recipe I tried, Sagaponack Corn Pudding, was truly different from other corn pudding recipes I'd tried, living up to Garten's promise that it would not be bland - and it wasn't - nor was it too spicy. It had some added flavor thanks to cheddar cheese and fresh basil but those with less experimental tastes could leave out the basil (as I did when we had small children at dinner one evening) and it would still be delicious.
Another plus to this cookbook: Many of the recipes are not only family-friendly but easy to throw together. There are also plenty of dishes for vegetarians as well as meat eaters, making meal planning easy. Nearly every recipe I tried was wonderful, with the minor exception of the Chicken Noodle Soup (I prefer my recipe).
Now the caveat: If you like extremely exotic or unusual foods, this may not be the ideal cookbook for you. While there ARE recipes which are new and different (like the Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash or a truly different and yummy Espresso Ice cream, better than any I've had thus far), MOST of the recipes are updated versions of familiar favorites..Rice Pilaf, Hashed Browns, Fried Chicken, etc. Professional or gourmet cooks may want something more challenging.
But I've had a hard time finding cookbooks which contain tasty recipes I can serve, night after night, and still keep my family happy and well-fed while minimizing my kitchen time. For those purposes, this one fits the bill. And if you happen to have any guests drop in at meal time, you can bet they'll be happy too!
Rating: - Just like her other books
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.
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