The Quarter Life Cooks.

Today I stumbled across a lovely little blog called Big Girls Small Kitchen...Okay, I'll confess I didn't quite stumble, I was commanded to check it out by one of my all-time favourite cooks, the fabulous Ina Garten. So I did.

The blog follows the cooking and entertaining adventures of 'The Quarter-Life Cooks' (aka Cara and Phoebe). These two lovely young ladies share recipes and tips, many of which are designed to help fellow 20-something-year olds who may just be finding their feet in the kitchen, so that they too can cook and entertain for their families and friends.

In late-2009 the girls announced that their blog has spawned a book deal. But until that book (which will undoubtedly be filled with scrumptious recipes) is released, you can check out their blog and delicious food ideas here.

The Best of Both Worlds

Since I love all things food and books it's only logical that I absolutely adore cookbooks - a sure combination of the best of both these worlds.

Over the years my sister (who shares my love of baking) and I have acquired quite the collection of cookbooks. On our recent trip to the USA we spent a great deal of time in Barnes and Noble, and even tipped our luggage over the weight limit in our efforts to acquire hard to source cookbooks.

On rainy days, like today, I like to review our collection and search for new recipes to try. Today I chose a book by one of my absolute favourite cooks, Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa).

While Nigella Lawson is most commonly referred to as embodying the "domestic goddess", I beg to differ and think that Ina's style of cooking and entertaining is far more admirable. Having tried countless Barefoot Contessa recipes and she has never once let me down.

Back to Basics, Ina's most recent book is by far my favourite from her collection. It offers recipes that are simple and unpretentious, yet full of great flavour. Best of all, they are easily replicated by your average home cook (like myself!) :)