Girl Crush: Giada De Laurentiisfeatured

I love Giada. I love her simple yet sophisticated take on Italian food – authentic flavors, beautiful presentations, and dishes/ingredients described in wonderfully poetic terms (unlike some other personalities I can think of that drop those shudder-inducing “yum-o’s!” all over the place). Shudder.

Giada’s Kitchen

Ok, back to my happy place. So, Giada, my love, was in town today promoting her new book, Giada’s Kitchen, at the massive flagship Williams-Sonoma in Union Square.

Williams-Sonoma, SF

The line was crazy long. Some silly man walked by and asked,“Who’s Giada?” Who’s Giada?!?!! Pshhht, keep on walkin’ mister…The wait was worth it though, Giada was gracious and charismatic, and, yes, she’s just as purty in person.

The book is full of tasty recipes that have been featured the past season on Everyday Italian.

Among my favorites are the Crispy Smoked Mozzarella with Honey and Figs,

Orzo-Stuffed Peppers (I’ve used feta instead of Pecorino Romano and it came out delicious),

and I can’t wait to try these Panini with Chocolate and Brie – such a classic Giada combination.

Mmm…I can’t wait to eat my way through this book!