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)

I'm Petrified of My Food Processor...

This gadget was supposed to make everything OK.

Somehow, by the power invested in Giada De Laurentiis, this food processor was supposed to magically transform me from a kitchen-challenged oaf into the Italian beauty herself. I had visions of whipping up the perfect pesto, so good in fact that my boyfriend (a known cheese-hater, except for mozzarella) would marvel at the delicate texture of fresh basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese.

I had such high hopes for me and my food processor. I thought we'd be the perfect team. But she and I have barely looked at each other.

Well aware of my kitchen diva aspirations, my boyfriend bought me a food processor for Christmas. I never opened it. It was nice. Manufactured by Black & Decker. But we live in a rather small apartment so I wasn't sure where to stash it once I opened the box. So I didn't.

Then a miracle happened.