We found this good quote after reading the articles mentioned in Faith's post on Ina Garten's City and Country kitchens this morning...
The whole thing about antiques and modern things together, and natural materials like wood, stone, leather — it's earthy and elegant, which is what I always look for in food. Real and not too perfect. It is what it is. If you start with really good-quality ingredients, you don't need to do much to make food taste great. Funny, I always say this about food, but it applies to interiors as well. Start with good-quality furnishings, and you don't need to do much to make a house look good. - Ina Garten
Love her!
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Love that hardwood floor
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She's aboslutely right -- I've been spouting the same things too -- it is all about the ingredients, in both food and decorating.
And that is where Europe is so ahead of us in North America.
Their homes (the older ones) are very often better built in terms of proportions and materials, which stand the test of time. You can't really make up for awkward proportions or poor materials.
And the same definitely goes for food. The best food requires no fancy techniques -- the simpler the better, actually. The best mashed potatoes I have ever made were the best not because I added sour cream or crème fraiche, or because I scented some olive oil with garlic and rosemary, but because I used really amazing Bintje potatoes -- just added hot milk, a tiny bit of butter and salt.
You cannot get around having excellent basics, it is as simple as that.
And oh, how I wish you could find Bintje potatoes all over North America!
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