Ina Garten = Barefoot Contessa

The Barefoot Contessa cookbooks are far and above my favorite cookbooks.  Beautiful pictures, delicious recipes, simple directions.  The recipes turn out consistently good.  Ina uses minimal basic ingredients in her recipes, with an emphasis on fresh, quality ingredients.  I have discovered at least one recipe in each book that I felt justified the cost of the book.  Some of our favorites are the Carmelized Butternut Squash, Tequila Lime Chicken and the Sun-Dried Tomato Dip.  Pictured above are the original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and the latest release, Barefoot Contessa, How Easy is That?  Mmmmmm......

Soft Skin ~ Soft Scent

It's like magic!  Add a capful or two of Boots Bath Oil in Rose and Lavender added to your bath, soak for a few minutes, and you will have the softest and sweetest-smelling skin.  Don't be scared away by this if you are not a big floral fan, the rose and lavender scent is light and refreshing.  As an added bonus, it comes in such a pretty bottle!  Target carries the Boots line of products.

Rosle, Rosle

If the cutting board and chef's knife is already out, it's usually just quicker and easier to mince a clove of garlic with the knife.  But other times, like tonight when the recipe called for 9 cloves of minced garlic, I turn to this gadget.  It's a Rosle Garlic Press from Williams Sonoma.  And let me tell you, this little guy can really press the garlic.  The first time I used it, after struggling with an inferior brand for several years, I applied the usual amount of pressure and Woohoo! , the garlic went flying out and splattered all across the back splash.  I soon learned that you don't need a lot of pressure to use this style.  Just aim carefully and give it a gentle squeeze.  When you're done, you can flip the screen up for easy cleaning or toss it in the dish washer.  Yes, it's a bit more expensive than some brands, but it is quite possibly the last garlic press you will ever buy!