Everyday Italian

Everyday Italian is my current favorite cooking show on the food network

La cuoca bella is Giada diLaurentiis / the pretty cook !

i wonder if she is a member of the Dino DiLaurentiis cinema family

one reason i wonder is because my former husband, The Actor, had a contract with the DiLaurentiis Studios back in the spaghetti western days / he was a Clint Eastwood look-a-like

the other reason i wonder is because the production values and camera work on Everyday Italian is far superior to many other cooking shows / some really talented people involved here

extreme close-ups of Giada's hands plucking a perfect bulb of garlic from the bowl / scooping up pinches of coarse salt / even turning off the water faucet / just lovely / and of course the food itself / so fresh and so colourful / so Italian / so many dishes the colours of the Italian flag

red ripe tomatoes / crisp green parsley and basil / creamy white mozzarella and parmigiano

the garlic (aglio) olive oil (olio) sale (sale) pepe (pepper)

this is like a kitchen chant : olio aglio sale pepe ! singing in the kitchen : cantare alla cucina

too darn yum and so much fun

what i learned when i lived in Italy was not how to cook so much as how to eat / how to shop and how to enjoy food and the pleasure of sharing meals with friends and family in liesurely ways / taking time / La Dolce Vita

i learned cooking too / when one is a foodie one is always learning to cook / there is no end to this most delightful process

for example i am trying out Elizabeth David's braised breast of lamb one more time / after the lamb breasts (riblets) are braised with onion and carrots and herbs in stock for three hours / it is cooled / the rib bones are gently removed and then another process is to take place involving slicing the meat / coating it with mustard and bread crumbs / letting it dry / and the grilling it

sigh / i never get that far / once the lamb breasts are braised and cooled enough to eat / well / shoot / i just cant resist gobbbling most of it down immediately

oh RATS / i got so involved in telling about the fn lamb breasts that my Everyday American dinner is kaput / the cream of tomato soup boiled all over the stove / the favorite saucepan bottom is burned and the grilled cheese sandwich is / well / too too toasted

shoot / phooey

not so bad though if you dont mind the taste of char