Everyday Pasta

I think Giada is wonderful! Every time I go to the food network to find a recipe it seems the ones I always picked were by Giada. So I decided to order a couple of her cookbooks. I'm glad I did because their great!

If you love pasta and need inspiration, this book is for you. The recipes are easy to follow, no tricky ingredients and every one I've tried has tasted really good. I have a pretty strong background in Italian cooking and while many have been Americanized I still wouldn't hesitate to serve up to my Italian friends.

I like the organization of the book into categories such as "quick and easy" which is the category I put pasta into in general. (I have mostly referenced this section so far). I do not tend toward the "quick and easy" with most dinners I prepare, but pasta is a great option to rely on when that's what's needed.

I'm not into the use of too many "prepared" ingredients, such as canned broth, wonton wrappers and frozen ravioli, but she advocates for fewer of these than I expected. Also, she introduced me to a few fun ingredients I didn't know existed: frozen artichokes, Meyer lemon oil, panko (Japanese bread crumbs).

The sheer number of recipes allows for a wide variety of ingredient choices. I have found the book fun, useful and worth having.

I originally saw this book by chance at the library, checked it out, and made her penne with roasted vegetables for a Christmas open house. WHAT a hit! So I started looking through and decided I HAD to own my own copy, even though I am under self-imposed cookbook probation. I've made several more of her dishes, and find that A) while a lot of prep work is requied, none are so "ornate" that I can't throw them together on weekday evenings, and B) I am eating much more healthily and eating a lot more vergetables than I usually do. I highly recommend her book!

I bought it because my husband loves pasta and I wanted something new other than the same few sauces we made. There are also pairings for pasta, appetizers and wine. There are tips along the way of preparing pasta and easy sauces. Some myths we have heard revealed. Still simple easy recipes and ingredients.