Food Network reviews - Giada De Laurentiis

I've not been doing much cooking, what with being on vaca and just general laziness, so I've decided that anticipation of what will hopefully be great new Food Network shows, I'm going to start doing mini-reviews. For now, I'll just review current favorites. As new shows premiere (including the wretched Deen boys in Road Tasted), I will mix those in!

So, in today's entry, we'll focus on Giada De Laurentiis. Now, most friends know how much I heart Giada. Yes, she's too skinny. Yes, she doesn't look like she eats her own food. Yes, she does the Italian accent over the top when she pronounced "spaghetti," etc. But her food IS good. Her recipes are accurate. And above all, the food is simple. And, of course, her show on FN is Everyday Italian, also the name of her first cookbook.

Things I like about the show:
1) Luscious production values - everything looks so beautiful, even when I know I would dislike the food (weird seafood or something)

2) She makes use of her friends, but they seem like real friends, unlike the weird relationships Ina Garten makes use of (more on that in a future update)

3) Unlike certain quick "cooks," Giada makes the preparation actually seem simple and straightforward, rather than racing around like a lunatic.

Things I don't like about the show:
1) It repeats the menu over and over. At the beginning, she tells you what she's making. Then there's a 20 second intro to each dish explaining how she makes it. Then she makes it. I end up fast forwarding through the first two runs. Thank goodness for my DVR.

2) I don't generally enjoy when she has guests cooking with her. I find it hard to believe that anyone in her family needs THAT much handholding in the kitchen. I appreciate that she is very close to her aunt, from whom she learned a lot in the kitchen, and I find it amusing when they disagree on Giada's embrace of butter vs. olive oil in some dishes, but I'd rather just watch the pro go at it.

Favorite recipes:
1) Mushroom risotto w/ peas
2) Rigatoni with steak sauce
3) Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes
4) Nutella sandwich
5) Venetian panino

July 24 update - sometimes, GDL is just a little TOO expressive...