If you’ve ever felt insecure in the kitchen, I want you to know, you’re not alone.
I partially blame my own line of work. As a member of the food media, I know all too well how the regular onslaught of seductive and exciting-looking new dishes in the paper, in magazines, and on the web (not to mention TV) has made the home cook feel inadequate just delivering a plain-old family favorite to the dinner table. That’s a shame, because home cooking is the most satisfying on the planet, even if it would be tossed back by the judges on a reality cooking show for its looks or unoriginality. The Italians have a phrase for this, “brutto ma buono,” or ugly but good, and their food has always emphasized flavor and generosity over gorgeous little plated towers or tiny, artful portions.
Here, I’ll be jotting down my favorite ideas, recipes, and stories about everyday meals. As I sometimes tell my dinner guests, the food (and the process of getting it on the table) might not always be pretty, but I hope you’ll find it pretty delicious.
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