Barefoot Contessa Recipes

The Barefoot Contessa cook book looks like the perfect book for a girly recipe I need. I’ve always wanted to make hummus so I try that recipe and the turkey tea sandwiches. The sandwiches have a wonderful combination of sour cream and chives layered on dense bread. I use one with cranberries to compliment the turkey. Then I add a layer of fresh basil and a slice of turkey. My husband asks, “Do you REALLY have to take ALL of those to the party?” So I bribe him for baby sitting time with some of the food.

After the party, I gather the extra food and take it to the restaurant where I work. I share it with the other servers, bartenders, managers and owner. The platter is wiped clean in an hour. The “unusual” foods raise a lot of questions like, “Where did you get the hummus?” To which I reply, “I made it.” Which leads to, “What’s in it?”

The conversation about the food goes on all night. Between tables and making drinks we share stories of family, friends, and the kinds of foods we eat at holidays. Fourteen people try the food. A half a dozen use it as a point of conversation but only one asks for the recipe. She’s bold about it too. She demands, “Don’t leave until you write that recipe down for me.”

Matthew 7:14 (NIV) says, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Giving people a taste of eternal life should be like sharing Barefoot Contessa recipes. My co-workers liked what they saw. The food looked appetizing. It was presented at four o’clock before a long shift. They were hungry. After a lot of conversation, one person wanted the full story – all the ingredients.

Lord, may what others see in us be appetizing. Make their hearts hunger for you Father. Let them seek the ingredients of salvation through the saving grace of your son Jesus Christ. Amen.



By Nancy Lucas
337 words
Sept. 1, 2006