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| my favorite: caprese tricoloré salad with fresh mozzarella, sliced beefsteak tomatoes, and basil seasoned with freshly ground black pepper, salt, and extra virgin olive oil |
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| Giada De Laurentiis' Chicken Piccata (garnished with parsley instead of brined capers) |
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| Ina Garten's Lemon Fusili Arugula. we substituted grape tomatoes with heirloom tomatoes, and broccoli with asparagus. |
I'm definitely a baker over a chef. But as of late, my constant baking has been adversely affecting my sugar intake. I realize I have a problem. I need to start making food that doesn't require sugar, eggs, and flour. So I decided to give baking a rest (for now) and recruited help from my culinary inclined boyfriend for a homemade meal to remember. We tackled two great recipes from my favorite lady chefs/heroes/goddesses - Ina Garten and Giada de Laurentiis, in addition to our improvised caprese salad and baked artisan bread (which was drizzled with olive oil and rubbed down with garlic). I must admit - Ina and Giada's recipes never fail me. They're always a hit. Ina's Lemon Fusili with Arugula is a perfect light summer pasta that can be served hot or cold and substituted with local or seasonal veggies. Giada's Chicken Piccata was so simple and tasty. We used chicken tenders instead of whole breasts and skipped the capers. To round out the meal, I popped some leftover cookie dough in the oven for a batch of warm after-meal cookies. A perfect end to a perfect meal.
