Giada, You Complete Me...

I don't care that you're obsessed with mascarpone cheese. Nor do I care that you use words like "warm" and "earthy" to describe the flavor of certain spices (even though I have no idea what the hell "warm" and "earthy" taste like).

Half the time you cook meals that I would never try. But I don't care. Perhaps it's your enthusiasm for parmesan cheese and copious amounts of lemon zest that draws me to the TV. Or the way you get so excited over fennel bulbs and store-bought mayonnaise.

Every time I turn on "Giada at Home" or "Everyday Italian," I feel warm and fuzzy inside; like I'm sitting down and watching an old friend work her magic.

Your crab-salad Napoleans (consisting of a filling of crab salad, peas and chives) isn't my thing, but I watched the episode from start to finish anyway. 

Paula Deen and Rachael Ray are lovely. But Giada takes the cake. 

Here are some Giada recipes I plan to try (just as soon as I find the time):

1. Grilled Chicken with Spinach and Pine Nut Pesto

2. Italian Bakes Chicken and Pastina

3. Classic Italian Lasagna

4. Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

5. Penne with Vodka Sauce

6. Chicken or Steak with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

In case you've never seen Giada De Laurentiis in action, here's a video of her culinary journey (source: The Food Network)

                                 
(images courtesy of Starsbase.com (top left), Life-fashion.com (top right) and NBC)