"everyday" news and stories

Much more attention gets paid to Rachael Ray and Paul Deen, but Ina Garten is another Food Network favorite that also has a new cookbook out. The Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again is her compilation of recipes that are short, easy are perfect when you want something tasty but don't really want to cook something elaborate. It's the Hamptons take on the same old theme of quick-fix meals, with some menu suggestions and grocery shopping tops thrown in. As always, Ina pays special attention to getting the best ingredients you can, which would certainly improve the quality of any quick-fix meal, though it doesn't make them quite as easy on the budget as some.

The important thing to consider about this particular book is whether you like Ina Garten or not. Her demeanor carries from the screen onto each page so if you are rubbed the wrong way, as a number of people are, by her on-screen personality, you might not enjoy the book quite as much. But if you like her upscale-casual manner, very generous use of butter and cream and the ever-present consideration for others that Ina always has, you'll probably enjoy it, from the Easy Cheese Danishes to Avocado BLTs and Chicken Pot Pie.

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Folgers, the coffee formerly known as the best part of waking up, is aiming further change its image by branching out into gourmet coffees. With new and improved packaging, new and improved flavors and a $20 million dollar advertising campaign, the company is hoping to prevent to loss of customers as these days "a gourmet version of coffee is the new standard."

But since the name of Folgers is associated with being an "everyday" coffee, not a premium coffee, they had to create a new category of coffee that wouldn't alienate their no-frills customer base. Market research told the Folgers executives that people who drink their coffee will "save" premium coffees for special occasions. So, to appeal to existing customers while potentially attracting new customers, the new Folgers Gourmet Selections are "gourmet-inspired coffee [and can] be consumed on an everyday basis."

Folgers has had mixed success with its recent product trials, so it's too early to say for certain whether they will be a success. You can get a free sample here if you want to try it before it hits shelves in September.

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