Ina Ina Ina Has Done it Again: Life-Changing Nuggets from the Barefoot Contessa

🥖 Ina Garten made me believe I can do and be anything. I even made an elaborate OG Barefoot Contessa feast. Let's go.

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It was a tiny meal because I ate the brownie first. Oops! Scroll down for the full menu.

“I love to take something ordinary and make it really special.”—Ina Garten

I never thought I’d relate so strongly to Ina Garten—a woman who built an empire by cooking, teaching, and gathering friends together.

Enter “Be Ready When the Luck Happens” (fantastic on audiobook—memoirs read by the writer? 😘). Ina’s memoir is a must-read or listen this autumn.

Ina’s Life-Changing Advice

1. Follow Your Passion Ina begins her memoir quoting her husband Jeffrey, “Do what you love. If you love it, you'll be very good at it.” I’m here, aren’t I? I love seasonal living, so I carved out this little space for myself and like-minded individuals (hi friends!)

2. Domestic Arts

   It’s okay to be passionate about the domestic arts; you can be a strong woman and be thrilled about a cozy home. Ina states, “After all my mother's negativity, I could design the rooms, cook anything I wanted, throw parties, and make a home for us.” We make the rules.

3. It’s okay to be “rebellious.” I relate to this with my entire being. No one can tell me what to do. I hate bosses. I have to be my own boss, and do my own thing. I remember as a child in swim lessons, no one was going to guide me, or show me. I was going to jump in and swim the length of the pool, whether I was ready or not. I’ll do it my way.

4. Simple is always best. Ina discovered that simple and delicious food sold best in her Shoppe (the original Barefoot Contessa was a Shoppe, spelling honored here). Customers wanted casual picnic food, and not Michelin-starred food to-go.

5. How to Entertain: Practice cooking what you’re serving, prepare everything ahead of time, and put everything on a white platter.

6. Feminism rocks. Jeffrey appears to be perfect, but he’s not, and Ina addresses their brief separation (during the feminist revolution, and resulting changes to their marriage and roles). Find yourself a Jeffrey, willing to accept you as is, and meet you halfway. I’ve got one. That being said, I push back on requests and demands (see “rebellious”)—and I’ve never related to the following statement more.

"I love to cook dinner, but what I don't like is for somebody to expect me to cook dinner," she said. "I think there's a big difference."

From CBS News Sunday Morning

Now that I’ve had a fire lit under me by Ina, could I cook an entire Barefoot Contessa meal?

One of the biggest breakthroughs in my life is taking action over researching things to death. So as the Seasonalist, I had to take action with a full Barefoot Contessa meal (because I want to, not because I’m expected to).

The Menu

OG cookbook is 30 percent off at Target!

Ina rereleased her OG cookbook, “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook,” and I picked it up at Target (I own another Barefoot Contessa cookbook that I received a few years ago for Christmas—unopened and untouched. I will remedy that immediately—see “taking action”). The tagline of the OG cookbook: “Secrets from the East Hampton specialty food store for simple food and party platters you can make at home.”

Challenge accepted.

Turkey Meatloaf

This recipe seemed crazy. 5 pounds of ground turkey? I pulled up an old video for instruction. I halved this sucker (and we still have turkey meatloaf for days).

What if you accidentally lose track of time and cook the meatloaf to 200 degrees instead of 160? It’s still fine and somehow delicious.

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

Okay, we have a winner. I might even make these for Thanksgiving. The recipe is found here.

Roasted Carrots

I love roasted broccoli, so why am I not roasting carrots? Well, I am now.

Outrageous Brownies

Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies are NOT EASY. So much chocolate and stirring and THREE BOWLS. The amount of brownies could feed an army. But…wow, wow, wow. These may be the best brownies I’ve ever had.

Takeaways: The quantities of food are insane (maybe in her first cookbook she was still scaling for a restaurant). But I feel like an accomplished cook now.

And to answer Ina’s catchphrase, “How Easy Was That?”

• Meatloaf: not that easy

• Potatoes: super easy

• Carrots: super easy

• Outrageous Brownies: not easy. Like at all.

What can’t I do now? Could I…roast a chicken? This seems like the most Herculean of tasks for a below average cook—especially when you can buy a rotisserie chicken. Coming soon on the Seasonalist: Perfect Roast Chicken.

And no one can tell me I can’t (cuz rebellious).

With that, follow your passion, but do it simply, be your rebellious self, and feminism rocks. We make the rules.

I am here, regularly writing and following through. It’s scary to put yourself out there, but it’s the best thing you can do for yourself. For subscribers who haven’t written their first post, just do it and be perfectly imperfect. Write simply, about whatever the heck you want to write about (see: rebellious). Substack (at least this seasonal lifestyle niche) is a supporting place.

How easy is that?

Okay *A Lot Deeper*

• An Ina fan account—”Storebought is Fine.” Trent has cooked ALL of Ina’s recipes. 🤯

  storeboughtisfine

  

  A post shared by @storeboughtisfine

• The original Hamptons store name was based on the Ava Gardner movie, “The Barefoot Contessa.” I haven’t seen it (when one speaks of feminism and then watches this trailer…)

• Absolutely worth a quick watch, an interview with Ina (and Jeffrey) on CBS News Sunday Morning.

• From the New Yorker, Ina Garten and the Age of Abundance—Ina transcends political lines. “She’s someone we can all agree on.”

• How seasonal is that? Did you buy tiny pumpkins this year? They can also be a receptacle for applesauce!

  

  My photography continues to astound. If you can get past the glare on the page, half the pic is of my living room. No skills.