My other big issue with this recipe was the sauce. Garten has the cook slice the carrots quite thickly, and then says to simmer them uncovered in the sauce until tender, "20 to 30 minutes." My 1-inch thick carrots were nowhere near fully cooked in 30 minutes. It took another 20 minutes for them to be completely cooked through, by which time the sauce was way too reduced. I like the look of the thick-sliced carrots, but the instructions in the recipe didn't work for me, so my solution is to double the amount of liquid that goes into the sauce. That way there is plenty of liquid for the carrots to cook in, and the sauce does not over-reduce.

Make sure you're using a very large skillet -- at least 14 inches in diameter. There are a lot of ingredients here, and trying to combine everything at the end will be difficult if you're using a smaller pan.

To make things easy, use frozen pearl onions that are already peeled. If you're using fresh ones, you'll need to blanch them in boiling water for about a minute, then slide the skins off.

Ina Garten doesn't give any serving recommendations for this dish. I liked it with buttered egg noodles, and it would also go well over steamed white rice. Like most stews, this one tastes even better the next day. You can make it in advance up to the point when all the components are combined in one skillet. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. To serve, reheat the beef Bourguignon over medium heat until completely heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: about 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

3 pound filet of beef, trimmed of fat and silverskin
Salt and pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 pound bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups dry red wine
4 cups beef stock
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1/2 pound pearl onions, peeled
8 to 10 carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch thick slices
3 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Cut the filet crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. In a very large, heavy bottomed pan on medium-high heat, sauté the slices of beef in batches with 3 tablespoons of olive oil until browned on the outside and very rare inside, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove the filets from the pan and set aside on a platter.

In the same pan, sauté the bacon on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until crisp. Remove the bacon and set it aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Drain all the fat, except 2 tablespoons, from the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook on high heat for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock, tomato paste, thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered on medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Strain the sauce and return it to the pan. Add the onions and carrots and simmer uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and the vegetables are cooked.

With a fork mash 2 tablespoons butter and the flour into a paste and whisk it gently into the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes to thicken.

Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms separately in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil for about 10 minutes until browned and tender.

Add the filet of beef slices, the mushrooms and the bacon to the pan with the vegetables and sauce. Cover and reheat gently for 5 to 10 minutes.Do not overcook. Season to taste and serve immediately. (If making ahead, cool, then cover and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat until heated through, about 15 minutes.)

When you take the oat mixture out of the oven, it will still be sort of sticky. As it cools, it becomes crisp and crunchy. If you don't stir the mixture every 10 or so minutes as it cools, it will become a rather solid lump of granola. If you do end up with a granola brick, never fear, because you can easily break it up with your fingers. My texture problem came with the addition of all the diced dried fruit to the crunchy granola. As soon as the two are combined, the moisture of the fruit causes the granola to become limp and lose all its crunch. If you want to save the granola for breakfast over the course of a few days or a week, I suggest that you store the crisp oat mixture and the moist fruit separately, combining only as much as needed just before serving.

You could vary this recipe according to your tastes. Try different dried fruits and/or nuts. Use maple syrup in place of the honey. Add cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired. Experiment and see what works!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 to 45 minutes
Yield: 12 cups

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup good honey
1 cup small-diced dried figs
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together in large bowl. Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a 13x18-inch baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally.

Combine the apricots, figs, cherries, cranberries, and cashews in a large bowl. Store the cooled granola and the fruit mixture separately in airtight containers, combining as needed just before serving.

If you only need to cook 1 chicken, the recipe can be halved.

Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus overnight marinating time
Cook Time: about 1 hour
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup grated peeled fresh ginger root
1/4 cup minced garlic (8-12 cloves)
Two chickens, about 3 1/2 pounds each, quartered and backs removed

In a small saucepan, cook the honey, soy sauce, ginger and garlic over low heat until the honey is melted. Alternatively, you can combine the marinade ingredients in a microwave-safe container and heat for approximately 30 seconds on high, or until the honey is melted.

Place the chickens in a large, shallow roasting pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chicken, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes more, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh and the sauce is a rich dark brown. Serve hot or cold.

I have made one small change to the instructions: Garten's recipe says to form the dough into a disk and then chill for 30 minutes, but there's quite a lot of dough here, so I've suggested that you make 2 disks instead. That way you can roll out 1 at a time, without the dough getting too soft while you're working.

The yield was not even remotely close, so I have to wonder if this recipe was scaled down for home use from a larger recipe that was used to make large quantities for the Barefoot Contessa bakery, without any actual testing to see how many cookies resulted. The book says this recipe makes 20 to 24 cookies (2 1/2 squares). I made cookies of that size, and ended up with 45 -- almost twice as many as the book says. Depending on the size you decide to make, you may end up with between 3 and 4 dozen cookies.

Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling time
Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Yield: 3 to 4 dozen cookies

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups small-diced pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-sugar mixture. Add the pecans and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a work surface dusted with flour and shape into 2 flat disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

On the flour-dusted work surface, roll the dough, one disk at a time, until it is 1/2-inch thick. The pecans may make it difficult to roll the dough out without it cracking; don't worry, just press the cracks together as best you can. Dough scraps may be re-rolled as often as necessary. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares with a plain or fluted cutter (or cut into any shape you like). Place the cookies about 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Cool on racks. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Garten says to heat the half-and-half and butter in a saucepan; I thought it was easier to heat them together in a large Pyrex cup in the microwave. That way I didn't have to wash another pan.

The recipe says to use a stand mixer to smash the potatoes. If you don't have one, or don't want to drag it out for this recipe, you could use a handheld potato masher.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: about 25 to 35 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

3 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, washed (cut into halves or quarters if necessary, see note above)
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/4 pound unsalted butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place the potatoes and 1 Tbsp salt in a large saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer covered for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender. Drain.

Heat the half-and-half and butter in a small saucepan, or in the microwave, until hot.

Put the potatoes in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix for a few seconds to break them up, then slowly add the hot cream mixture to the potatoes, mixing on low speed. (Alternately, mix the potatoes and hot cream with a potato masher.) By hand, fold in the sour cream, Parmesan, remaining salt, and pepper. Taste for seasoning, then serve immediately.

To reheat, place the potatoes in a baking dish and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp Parmsan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the top is browned and the potatoes are heated through.

The flavor of this turkey meatloaf was somewhat bland. I thought it was curious that there was no garlic in the loaf. Its addition might perk things up a bit. If you're looking for a lean meatloaf and intend to try this one, you might add a clove or 2 of minced garlic to the onions, to boost the flavor.

The recipe as written in the book makes an absolutely enormous meatloaf. There's a side note which indicates that the recipe can be halved, which I did, although there are quite a few quantities in the larger recipe which don't lend themselves to easy halving (1/3, 3/4, etc.). I've given the original recipe; if you decide to halve it, just measure the quantities carefully to get half of 1/3, and so on.

I've expanded on the directions somewhat, for ease of use.

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

3 cups chopped yellow onions
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp tomato paste
5 pounds ground turkey breast
1 1/2 cups plain dried bread crumbs
3 extra-large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup ketchup

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until the onions are translucent but not browned, about 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well (use your hands to get the mixture well combined), then turn the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet. Shape the meat into a rectangular loaf about 5 inches tall. Spread the ketchup evenly on the top. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, then test the internal temperature; it needs to be 160 degrees. If the meatloaf is not up to temperature, bake for about 15 minutes longer. Serve hot, warm, or cold in sandwiches.

To keep the top of the meatloaf from cracking, put a shallow pan of hot water in the oven underneath the loaf while baking.

I think that Ina Garten's definitions for "medium" and "large" must be different from mine, because the original instructions for this recipe say to mix the custard in a "medium" bowl. In my world, 5 cups of half-and-half plus 11 eggs and yolks do not fit in a "medium" bowl. I've changed the instructions to read "large."

The recipe suggests serving this bread pudding with rum-flavored whipped cream. I honestly think that that's just another boring dairy component that won't add a lot to a dish that's already overflowing with half-and-half. For contrast, I suggest a compote of fruit such as strawberries or raspberries (place the fruit in a saucepan with a sprinkling of sugar, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for just a couple of minutes so that the fruit retains its shape).

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: about 1 1/2 hours
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

3 extra-large eggs
8 extra-large egg yolks
5 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 croissants, preferably stale
1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Set the custard mixture aside.

Slice the croissants in half horizontally. Place the bottoms of the croissants in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the raisins atop the croissant bottoms, then cover them with the croissant tops (try to keep the raisins inside the croissants, but don't worry if some of them escape). Pour the custard over the top and allow to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down occasionally.

Place the baking dish in a larger roasting pan filled with an inch of hot water. Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so that it doesn't touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil for steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool about 10 minutes before serving.

A few small changes I have made: I have added the instruction to seed the tomato, since I prefer not to have the seeds floating around in the soup. This is optional; if you don't care about the seeds, don't worry about it. I have directed the cook to add the chicken, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice, and then heat through, since the original recipe says merely to take the broth off the heat, add those ingredients, then serve, and the chicken wasn't hot enough that way. I've also added a couple of additional garnish ideas to the end of the ingredients list.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp kosher salt
6 cups chicken broth, low-sodium canned
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
About a dozen corn tortilla chips, broken a bit
Lime wedges, queso fresco, fresh salsa, avocado slices, optional

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chipotle, chili powder, and salt and cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the corn and cook for 5 minutes more.

Stir in the tomato, chicken, cilantro, and lime juice. Heat through, about 5 minutes. Divide the tortilla chips among 4 warmed bowls, ladle the soup on top, and serve with lime wedges and other garnishes, if desired.