What Ana Does

Don't judge me but I loove award shows! And particularly the Golden Globes because I get to see TV and movie stars mingle. So last night, I sent the girls up to play Mario Kart, I poured myself a glass of wine and basked in the glory that is red carpet and award show hoopla. Not that I saw any of the movies or TVs up for awards -- that hardly mattered. Especially when Christian Slater high-fived Leo on the way to get his reward and my 15-year-old-self exploded. Or when Brad and Ryan were on stage together and my brain couldn't comprehend the hotness on my TV -- or maybe that was just the wine. Anyway... I also used my NEW pressure cooker last night for the first time, making a Beef, Barley and Vegetable Stew from the Martha Steward One Pot cookbook. The pressure cooker is a little intimidating to use, just think about all that built-up pressure sitting on your counter. Plus, you can't see into the thing to know what's going on inside there. But the stew came ou...

This weekend I dipped into my collection of Everyday Foods  from Martha Stewart mini-magazines, which I've been hoarding since the early 2000s, looking for some simple veggie recipes. (I don't think we're eating enough veg lately.) Anyway, it got me thinking about how much I loved this now-defunct recipe magazine and how it's odd to have recipes that feel are in "my style." Do recipes or cookbooks go after a certain style? I'm not aware if they do. Sure, there's a theme and focus, but food doesn't traditionally follow a style, right? But I'm starting to think it does. Similar to how J.Crew is my clothing style and Express or Loft is not. Everyday Foods is my food style, as Ina Garten and Jaime Oliver (oh how I love them both) are not my style of food. I try to make their recipes, but I don't generally love the taste, or some of the ingredients or how they prepare things. Does that even make sense? My Treasure of Everyday Foods ...