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Foreword
Valerie Bertinelli
When I learned that I would be on In the Kitchen with David with my first cookbook, Valeries Home Cooking, I couldnt believe it. David has long been my moms favorite QVC host. Not only has she been sending me Christmas gifts from QVC for thirty years, but Ive been watching In the Kitchen with David for as long as I can remember. To be asked to appear on Davids show was a dream come true. Boy, was I happy dancing all through my house!
David and I have much in common. We both celebrate food as the most delicious part of life. Both of us also learned how to cook from our parents. David learned to cook Southern classics like smothered pork chops, buttermilk biscuits, and coconut layer cake from his mother and grandmothers, while my mother, nonne (grandmothers), and zie (aunts) taught me Italian classics like Bolognese and risotto as well as Italian-American favorites such as Italian wedding soup and spaghetti and meatballs. (In truth, Ive been cooking longer than Ive been acting, and I started acting when I was twelve years old.)
What you dont realize until you meet and work with David and his QVC team is how genuinely kind they are. They all support one another, and it shows. The funny, smart, generous David that you see on-screen is just as funny, smart, and generous when hes not in front of the camera. David cares so much about food and works so hard to make comfort food easy to prepare. I think David is absolutely magical.
It was such a pleasure when David took me under his culinary wing. Hes been a mentor to me and helped me share my cookbooks, my recipes, and my wines on his show. During our time together we realized that we are true culinary kindred spirits. When it comes to food we think alike, as we discovered when we found that we both have recipes for tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwich croutons in our cookbooks! Inspired by the BLT sandwich, David offers a BETA (bacon, egg, tomato, and avocado) breakfast bowl in Comfort Food Shortcuts, while I have a BLT Pasta in Valeries Home Cooking.
David is genuine. So is his food. He wont recommend anything he doesnt believe in. Like me, he wants recipes that are quick and easy, because like you, were busy people. When we have time to prepare a long-simmering meat sauce, thats great. But more often than not these days, were short on time. Thats when Davids supermarket shortcuts come to the rescue, like an all-in-one skillet breakfast with quick-cooking grits on the bottom and eggs cooked in tomato sauce. Or Chicken Potpie that takes advantage of a rotisserie chicken, condensed cream of chicken soup, and refrigerated buttermilk biscuits. And a ready-in-minutes Cookies and Cream Dip thats a spin on the old-fashioned icebox cake with chocolate wafers and prepared whipped topping.
Once you pick up Davids Comfort Food Shortcuts, your cooking will become easier and faster. And you wont want to put down his book. Unless its time to sit down at the table.
Introduction
When you and I first started cooking together some twenty-five years ago, ingredients that are now pantry and refrigerator basics, like hummus and pesto, were just finding their way into our kitchens. Pressure cookers, blenders, and slow cookers had yet to evolve into the multipurpose, powerful, and time-saving appliances they are today. Who would have thought that you would be able to bake a Chocolate Pudding Cake in a slow cooker? Or cook boneless country-style pork ribs in a pressure cooker in less than fifty minutes? Or air-fry Honey-Bourbon Chicken Wings in a countertop machine without oil?
Together, were still discovering and sharing new foods and flavors. Comfort Food Shortcuts is my new collection of classic and contemporary recipes that are tastier, simpler, and more comforting than ever. Some recipes are creative versions of old favorites, like Philly cheesesteak ingredients turned into a hot dip, while others are regional American dishes such as Shrimp Creole, or popular international dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala.
As you know, Im always on the lookout for an even more perfect mac n cheese, new ways to make the divine swine even more divine, and oh-so-good desserts that are oh-so-much richer, creamier, and more satisfying. Whenever I run across a terrific tip, like using orzo in place of rice for an easy no-stir risotto, or a time-saving way to bake a super-moist cake using a cake mix, three eggs, and a container of your favorite melted ice cream, I cant wait to share them with you.
We are all busier than ever, and time seems to fly by, but we still want to feed our families and friends satisfying, comforting food. We still want to spend time around the dinner table together. We can do that because there are now so many ways to make cooking easier and faster.
The recipes in Comfort Food Shortcuts take advantage of ready-made ingredients that cut down on time spent on shopping, prepping, and cooking. Jarred sauces, refrigerated biscuits, rotisserie chickens, taco seasoning packets, and pre-made pie crusts are just a few of the items Ive come across that will let you zip through the express lane so you can get cooking.
Ready-to-use means more than just spice blends and cake mixes. Think about how much has changed in your produce department. There are grab-and-go bags and boxes of washed and mixed salad and other greens; containers of chopped onions, celery, and carrots; and packages of cubed butternut squash and spiral-cut zucchini, carrots, summer squash, and beet noodles, as well as bags of cauliflower rice. Cut-up pineapples, kiwis, mangos, and melons are ready for snacking, for making smoothies, and adding to desserts and salads. (Recipes that call for supermarket-shortcut ingredients are indicated by