Ina Garten of Eden

Beets, Beef, and Sprouts with a Little Slaw

Who can take someone calling their self The Barefoot Contessa seriously? Well ... color me converted. If I had a nickel for ever time I'd facepalmed ... and learned from ... her simple and beautiful "salt and olive oil" approach to food ... well, I'd have $37.50. That's a lot of nickels.

I regularly use her recipes for roasted beets, roasted Brussels sprouts, and sautéed sugar snap peas because the results are quick, nearly effortless, and super yum. They also don't require a lot of my attention once they're in the oven, freeing me up to focus on more complex aspects of the meal.

Trivia: Did you know that she worked at the White House as a budget analyst and wrote the United States' nuclear energy budget under Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter?

Well, I don't know much about nuclear budgets but I know what I like to eat. So long as she keeps simple, delicious, time-saving recipes coming Ina Garten can call herself whatever she likes.