Giada de Laurentiis came from a big family, and they would all get together on Sundays as she was growing up. The dinner table would be packed not with 8 or 10 people, but with 15, 20 or even more. To feed that many hungry people, everyone in her family relied on relatively simply Italian fare that could feed a crowd, and Giada carries that same feeling over into Giada's Family Dinners. The recipes in the book are easy to read and well-presented, making it suitable for experienced and novice cooks alike. There are dishes that even picky eaters will enjoy, like Chicken Carbonara and Ravioli with Creamy Tomato sauce, because the book is not about the super-gourmet dishes that will only be appreciated by culinary experts. Most are scaled to produce quite a lot of food, so you might want to experiment with freezing leftovers or simply plan to get lunches for a few days when you make a big batch of pasta or soup. The desserts, however, you'll want to eat right away; it's hard enough to wait until the end of the meal to dig into desserts like Chocolate Pizza and Nectarine and Blueberry Crisp .
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
Tyler Florence welcomes new daughter
Beware kids' menus!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-25-2006 @ 9:34AM
Laura nason said...
My husband saw this cookbook on display at Borders, and promplty turned it upside down stating "why does she have to show her giant teeth all the time, I cant stand people who eat teeth first" and I have to agree, I cannot even watch her show because of that.
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7-25-2006 @ 1:24PM
Zeke said...
Don't worry, Giada, you can show her teeth anytime around me.
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7-25-2006 @ 1:49PM
Geena Lollapalooza said...
A laconic German friend displayed his masterful gift for concision when the subject of La Giada came up recently: "Oh, it's that skinny woman with the big mouth." :-)
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7-25-2006 @ 2:29PM
Skinny Noodles said...
I just hope that there are more pictures of the food than the cook in this one.
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7-26-2006 @ 12:01PM
Tina M said...
I have this book, and I love it. I cooked out of it every night for a week when I got it.
Granted she smiles way to big, but the girl knows what she's doing in the kitchen.
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7-27-2006 @ 7:21PM
mike said...
She has nice teeth. Leave it be
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