Does Giada ever make anything that doesn't sound/taste/look delicious? I didn't think so. This is her debut book and one I've had on my shelf for quite a while now. Heck, I've had it for so long, I was able to bring it with me when she did a signing when her third book came out. In fact, here we are. I am not the one in the yellow sweater.
Anyway, I love Giada's food. Everyday Italian is a great starter book if you're interested in Italian food with a California flair. Most of the ingredients are very easy to find if you're on the west coast, and all the recipes tend to incorporate fresh, light flavors. Practically everything she does incorporates something I love (and sometimes, all of it): garlic, lemon, fresh basil, pasta. I mean really, how can you go wrong with that?
Out of Everyday Italian, one of the highlights I made was Creamy Polenta with Gorgonzola Cheese. This makes for a fantastic comfort food and is a good one to try if you're leery but curious about either polenta making or blue cheese. Gorgonzola is very mild and a good starter blue, and her technique for making polenta will almost assure you will not have yellow paste stuck to your pan, as is wont to happen with some recipes.
She also includes some great deserts, which if you haven't been able to tell by now, are sadly not something I frequently cook. But I'd be willing to be we'd all enjoy Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cream and Rice Pudding with Vanilla, Orange, and Rum. Who wouldn't?
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