Community Chat

[catlover]

her new show starts this saturday on the food network! It's called Valerie's Home Cooking.

I always liked her-she's so real and unscripted....and she loves food!!!!

[Preds]

I'm hoping to catch her show, too! 

[imagemd]

Thanks for the info!  Love her!

[muttmom]

I think she's a cutie but we do not get the Food Network.

[beckyb1012]

I just love her from way back in our teenage days.  She and her husband started on the Food Network back in April 2014 doing a few cooking shows from their kitchen for their friends.  Recently she did a spot on one of the shows that tells you about there favorite dish at a restaurant.  She was a hoot and the dish looked sooo good!!   (lots of butter)

Thanks for the info. I will put her show on my line up.

[Jessa9]

Thanks for the info catlover.  I was getting tired of the same old ones on there.  I love Valerie, she is adorable.

[Desi]

I love her too, glad we can see her since Hot in Cleveland is off.

Becky, I saw that - she drooled over Croque Madam and boy did that sound good!  I'd never heard of it but now I would love to try it (not a health food that;s for sure).

[feline groovy]

Here's one of her savory yummy recipes from the FN website:

Valerie's Grilled Romaine with Balsamic Dressing

Total Time:
15 min
Prep:
10 min
Cook:
5 min

Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients

Balsamic Dressing:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola
6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grilled Romaine:
2 romaine hearts, halved lengthwise
Canola oil, for brushing
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola, for garnish
4 leaves fresh basil, torn, for garnish

Directions

For the balsamic dressing:

In a blender, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Gorgonzola, basil, garlic, a pinch each of salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons water.

Blend until the dressing is creamy and the garlic and basil are finely chopped.

For the grilled romaine:

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat.

Lightly brush the cut sides of the romaine with the canola oil.

Place the romaine on the grill cut-side down and cook until grill marks form and the leaves are slightly charred, 1 to 3 minutes.

Arrange on a platter cut-side up.

Drizzle the romaine with the dressing.

Sprinkle with the Gorgonzola and torn basil and serve.

(recipe courtesy of Valerie Bertinelli)

[miata1]

I am looking forward to seeing her show.  I enjoyed Hot in Cleveland so much and will miss seeing that show.  I think that the cooking show sounds like fun. She is so pretty.

Miata 1

[feline groovy]

And her totally-awesome kitchen, one of my faves of all time:

Valerie Bertinelli has been cooking for as long as she has been acting.

Even when she was starring as Barbara Cooper in One Day at a Time, her mom and grandmother put her to work as their sous chef — training that eventually led to a cookbook, One Dish at a Time, and now a show on Food Network, Valerie's Home Cooking.

The kitchen is still Valerie's favorite room in the house: "We hang out here all the time," she says of the space she and her husband, Tom Vitale, a former investment banker, often share with their blended family of her son, Wolfgang, plus Tom's four kids.

The couple kept big family meals in mind when they renovated in 2011, installing his-and-hers sinks for prep work, a Wolf range (a nod to her son's name) and an oversize island where everyone can roll out dough on pizza night. Valerie also wanted to make sure the kitchen felt personal, so she stocked it with her favorite collections: olive oils, ceramic bowls, cow-themed decor.

"I spend so much time here," she says.  "It's important to have things that make me happy."

Notes of Thanks
Valerie and Tom keep a gratitude jar on the island. Whenever they have a bad day — or a great one — they write something they're thankful for on a piece of paper and slip it into the jar

DIY Butcher Block
Valerie found this butcher block at Bed Bath & Beyond and had it cut to fit over the island sink. "If you have a saw, you can do this," she says. 

Perfect Paint

The couple chose a pale gray-blue paint, Timber Wolf by Benjamin Moore, to pick up the undertones of the marble and to offset the dark wood of the island.  

Luna is their cute dog (see above), and here's Batman, one of their four cats: