If you’ve clicked around on the blog, you know that my #1 favorite Food Network chef is Ina Garten. I adore her approach to cooking and entertaining. I feel similarly about Giada, as well as Nigella and Mario, who used to make much more regular appearances on the network.
I do not feel the same about Rachael Ray. A lot of people have issues with her perkiness and terminology such as EVOO (which I find a useful abbreviation), stewp and yum-o. That doesn’t really bother me. What gets me is that her recipes just don’t turn out.
But while at the beach, I tried one of her kitchen techniques and it was glorious. What did I try?
The garbage bowl.
While making 5 dishes to feed a crowd, I filled that puppy up 3 times.
It’s a breeze to have a place right in front of you to toss those onion and garlic skins, the seeds of a jalepeno, the empty sprigs of thyme…
You get the idea.
Try it, you’ll like it.
a glass of milk 
I’m glad you find anything to do with cooking to be “a breeze”! What I find to be a breeze is having my daughter, Miss “Glass of Milk” herself, cook for me at the beach! Though it seemed a genetic impossibility to produce a brilliant chef, I did it! But trust me, Glass of Milk comes by her talent honestly–from her dad’s mom–whose excellent southern cooking is an inspiration! Butter? Salt? Half & half? Of course! How else would mashed potatoes taste so good? : )