Sunday, April 1, 2018

My Top Ten Ina Garten Favorites {Plus an Honorable Mention}


It's hard to make a list of Ina Garten Favorites. In fact, it's fair to say that EVERY  Ina dish is a favorite. She is known for her time-tested foolproof recipes, and truly they are. I have loved every Ina recipe I've ever made, except for one, which was the result of a mistake I made.

We spent a delicious six months cooking Ina's recipes over at I Heart Cooking Clubs, but I was cooking with Ina long before that. Some of these favorites I shared recently, while others I shared years ago. If you'd like the recipe, please click on the recipe title to be directed back to the original post.


 This is my number one favorite Ina recipe! Not only is this a fun and unique take on mashed potatoes, but it was something that my Mom loved. She always grew her own basil and one year we had more basil than we knew what to do with, so I tried this recipe. At first, she thought I was silly making green mashed potatoes, but once she had a bite she fell in love. My mom talked about these potatoes a lot saying things like "these are so special" and "this is the freshest potatoes have ever had it."  We truly loved them and I think you will too!


I love to eat cookies, but I don't love the process of scooping them onto the cookie sheet and baking sheet after sheet, allowing them to cool, and trying to store them. I much prefer a bar cookie because you can just put all the dough in a baking pan, remove it, allow to cool, slice, and store right in the pan. How's that for lazy? I also prefer my cookies to be chewy and a cookie bar is a sure bet for chewiness because of the thickness. Ina's recipe for Chocolate Chunk Blondies a pound of chocolate, so this is definitely one for the chocolate lovers! Make these next time you don't have all afternoon to stand by your stove!


I made this recipe because I was curious about the combination of butternut squash with cheese on bruschetta. I think this recipe takes the award for completely blowing my mind! I wasn't sure what to expect with this dish, but I was absolutely blown away by the combination of flavors and textures. This is a mind-blowing, delicious, must-make dish! You won't be sorry!


I'll keep this brief because these cookies pretty much speak for themselves. A fluffy peanut butter cookie base with loads of chocolate chips running throughout? Sign me up!


This is another dish with special meaning. I made this Panko-Crusted Salmon seven years ago for my Mom on Mother's Day. Mom and I used to have frequent conversations about how much we loved fish and seafood and how completely tired we were of anything meat-related. So, for Mother's Day in 2011, I cooked up this Panko-Crusted Salmon. It was the first time Mom had panko on anything and she instantly fell in love with the crispy and crunchy texture. I could rarely get Mom onboard with any specialty or newfangled ingredients, but she did have a have a lasting love affair with panko. We both loved this dish and got on a jag with it, making it often when my meat-loving husband was out of town for work.


This recipe caught my attention because it was different. I really enjoyed this baked pasta dish with three different kinds of cheese, cauliflower, capers, and crunchy panko topping. It was definitely up there on my list of Ina Garten faves!


I love egg dishes and this one is not only easy but perfect for entertaining. I love that you can customize the eggs to include different veggies and cheeses. I see this as a classic go-to recipe!


 I lightened up Ina's original recipe considerably and this was still an outstanding dish! You really can't go wrong with shrimp, butter, garlic, lemon, and breadcrumbs. This is a delicious and satisfying meal for anyone, especially if you are eating healthy and looking for something indulgent!


The very best roast chicken. There are no other words!


These Tri-Berry Oven Pancakes are so pretty and colorful! Kids love the way they puff up in the oven and they love the idea of topping their individual pancake with whatever goodies they chose! Who doesn't?



This Lemon Drop Cocktail earns an Honorable Mention because it is one of those easy things you can keep on hand for when you need, or want, a quick cocktail in a hurry. A quick squeeze of lemon, a touch of sugar, and some vodka and you're set.  This is a cocktail worth having up your sleeve! 

Theme: IHCC March Potluck and Goodbye Ina!

3 comments:

  1. I enjoyed cooking with Ina as well. Somehow I missed the shells and cauliflower so I'll just go ahead and pin it for another time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love that so many of these recipes are infused with memories of your mom! Definitely makes them extra special.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That looks like a nice top ten and more recipes to add to my to-do-list. I have really enjoyed our 6 months with Ina. I think I want to continue to make her recipes for the potluck week. I received so many good ideas from fellow cooks.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment! At the moment I am having a huge problem with spam so I've had to add comment moderation and close off comments to anonymous users. I apologize for the trouble and hope to return my comments to normal shortly.