Slater - Orange, Lavender & Figs: Deliciously Different Recipes from a Passionate Eater

Id like to take this page to raise my glass to the recipe of extraordinary individuals who have transformed my cookbook dream into a reality.

While this book is dedicated to the three members of my immediate family, it also very much belongs to the infinitely remarkable Rachael Ray. Her decision to conduct a competition that resulted in a published cookbook opened up a colossal door of opportunity to the world. I just happened to be waiting on the other side. I believe with every fiber of my being that the stars aligned to connect me with Rachaelas I have looked up to her for many more years than she knows. During college, I would sit on the floor in front of the TV and recite the intro to 30 Minute Meals along with her. I once waited eight hours in line at a bookstore for her to sign my copy of Just in Time! She touched my life through the screenan ability that I could only hope to manifest someday. I wished that even a small fraction of the magic that she spread was inside of me, too. Now under her guidance, I feel as if the world is at my fingertips and I couldnt be more grateful. So thanks, Rach. Thank you for seeing something in me. Thank you for the winks, the reassuring shoulder squeezes, and for allowing me to be exactly who I am. Thank you for being my Oprah. Thank you for opening this door for me. I guarantee itll be a good show on the other side.

To each and every team member at The Rachael Ray Show , I cant thank you enough for making me feel right at home from the beginning. Youve laughed at my jokes, youve smiled from across the studio, and youve stocked your pockets with granola bars to postpone my low blood sugar. You make me feel like a part of your family, and I am so lucky to know you all.

Countless thank-yous to all the magnificent individuals at Atriaespecially the following: Judith Curr for sharing your desire to live in my kitchen when we met. I instantly felt welcomed into the Atria circle. Immense gratitude to my editor, Johanna Castillo, for celebrating me and this cookbook from our very first conversation (except that time you dressed me up in your high heels during the cover shoot and asked if I would wear pink). Thank you to Kaitlyn Zafonte and Lindsay Newton for cheering me on and guiding me through this incredible experience. Thank you to my art director, Albert Tang, for understanding the soul of my style from the minute you walked onto set, and for pouring me that extra glass of Crown Royal when Johanna made me wear heels. Thank you to my tremendously talented photographer, Frances Janisch, who, with a single click, captured the spirit of me and my food like we were lifelong friends. Thank you, also, for the aforementioned whiskey and for blaring Britney Spears while I posed for the cover. To Francess assistant, Jody Kivortthank you for your hard work and unshakable patience as we studied each shot making sure that no fig was out of place. To my food stylist, Hadas Smirnoff: I am so grateful for your seasoned culinary skills and sensational kitchen instincts, which turned my recipes into true works of art. You brought the imagination inside my cookbook to life. Big shout-out to Kate Schmidt, Hadass assistant, who nailed a perfect sear every time. To my brilliant project editor, Kate Slatewho, in our initial meeting, put me immediately at ease with the reassurance that yes, we are somehow related. Your knack for understanding Fanny-speak is unparalleled, and every question you instantly answered and piece of advice you promptly zipped back helped to shape me into a better author. You even, on your own time, joined me in my very first cookbook photo shoot so that there would be a familiar face in the room. How lucky I am to have you as a leader, a professional confidante, and a friend. You are my fairy cookbook godmother.

To everyone at the Atria Publishing Group, thank you for allowing me this journey. I promise to make you all very proud.

To my parents, who have cheered me on through each and every step of life. Thank you, Mom, for praising my silliness and stirring my love for healthy, wholesome foods. Thank you for nurturing and nourishing me, and for helping to pilot me toward my true self. I am inspired by your tremendous strength daily and am so proud that we get to spend this lifetime togetherskipping around with chard and offering a round of applause to the cherry tomatoes. Daddy-o, for scooting a chair up to the stove and allowing a four-year-old to sprinkle fresh sage all over your kitchenthank you for changing my life. Thank you for championing me in every sense of the word. Under your unconditional love and culinary guidance, I have finally found myselfand my third circle. You never stopped believing that eventually, all of this would pay off, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Someday, I will buy you that giraffe for the backyard that youve always wanted. To my big sister, Sar, apparently siblings are supposed to fight... but we never got that memo. From the moment my spaceship delivered me to this world, you have been the third caretaker. As the older sister, you have gone above and beyond your job to help me feel protected, cherished, and appreciated. No matter how many states physically stand between us, our love and laughter will always bring us back home. Preferably to a freezer full of brownies and an oven full of crab cakes.

To my extended family scattered throughout New Jersey, I am endlessly appreciative of your undying support. You are all so special to me, and our food adventures together have fostered the frame of this cookbook and ultimately, my life. Thank you for always seeing the star in me and for showering me with so much love. Thank you for being my family. To my incomparable grandmotherBea Bea, thank you for texting me on November 21, 2013, to let me know that Rachael Ray was holding a cookbook competition. That certainly turned out well. You mean the world to me, and I am so lucky to have shared every moment of this with you. I am so thankful that your Springfield home is just under an hour from New York Citybecause each time work brings me back north Im granted one more visit with you. You are my winning lottery ticket. I know that Poppy, Aunt Annette, Poppa George, Grandma Fannie, and Aunt Sara have been with us every step of the way.

To Tony, my eager, easy-to-please taste tester and the heart of my support system. Thank you for holding my hand through every page of this book. For eating 10:00 p.m. dinners without an ounce of protest. For always doing the dishes. For always leaving encouraging, handwritten notes in my suitcase. For always trying to get me to dance when Im mad. For talking me down from frantic rants of stress and hunger. For laughing at my inexplicably fuzzy hair at the end of a fourteen-hour writing dayinstead of running in the other direction. I am so lucky to have found my other half. I love you, and yes, I will autograph this book for you.

To my other Sar, what a blessing it is for two friends to find each other in a world full of people. Like the great Carrie Bradshaw once said, Today I had a thought. What if I had never met you? You have been by my side through it all, and my life has been electrified by the adventures of Sara and Fanny. Thank you for countless comforting conversations over pad Thai. Thank you for hilarious, unexpected text messages like, I was attacked by a pelican today, and no, Im not drunk. Thank you for being my best friend.

To my loyal counterpart, Olive, who has literally been present for every keystroke of this book. Seriously, youre staring at me right now. Everyone thinks youre just a cat, but I know better. I once almost lost my mind when the computer froze mid-recipe while I was writing this manuscript. You then chased an almond out from under the couch and sent me into uncontrollable laughter. You are truly one of a kind.

To my friend and local mentor, Judy Girard. I am forever indebted to you for your invaluable, thoughtful counseling and sound advice from day one. Over coffee we once chatted about how it was part of your lifes path to help young women find their way. I can say without a doubt that your reassuring words of wisdom have steered me in the right direction and soared my ambitions to new heights. Just like my parents, you have believed in me from the start and reminded me to always be myself. It has led me here, and you are an irreplaceable rock on my path. I am so honored to have you in my life.