Why Barbara ‘Babs’ Costello Is the Internet’s Favorite Grandmother

Salt your pasta water after it boils. Never serve the first pancake (it’s always the worst!). Toss fresh fish after three days, and never waste food — stale bread can be revived with just a little water. These are just a few of the tips that Barbara Costello, 76, shares on her wildly popular TikTok and Instagram pages (with 4.2 million followers and 3.8 million followers, respectively). She saves the best tip for the end of one video: “Always call Grandma when having a breakdown in the kitchen — and if she’s not available, you can always call me.” 

It’s that warm, motherly advice that has boosted the profile of the retired preschool teacher and grandmother of eight. Costello’s social feeds are full of tips on how to keep your home tidy, tricks for making chores simpler and ideas for keeping clothes pristine, in addition to the comforting, approachable recipes that helped make her internet-famous. 

And she’s set to share even more advice in her latest book, Every Day with Babs: 101 Family-Friendly Dinners for Every Day of the Week: A Cookbook, out April 8. The chapters are organized by day of the week, so instead of worrying about what to make, you have a whole week’s schedule picked for you — all tested and loved by Babs and her own family.

Prioritizing time with her family has always been at the core of Costello’s values, and it shines through in her social media posts. Likewise, it’s at the heart of her second cookbook. “There are so many positive effects for every member of the family if you just sit down and eat together,” she says. “So this book is the full package.” 

“Every Day with Babs” by Barbara Costello answers the age-old question “What’s for dinner?” with 101 tried-and-true recipes.

Courtesy Penguin Random House

Cook with Babs

Costello shared three recipes from Every Day With Babs for AARP members to try:

Olive Bar Chicken

This chicken is my way of capturing all the delicious flavors from your grocery store’s olive bar. 

Pesto Rack of Lamb

This recipe screams summer to me, and the star here is the pesto.

Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake

This sheet-pan dessert is one big, brown sugary biscuit piled with whipped cream and strawberries.

“Monday” features 12 easy-to-execute sheet-pan recipes. Tuesdays are all about doubling up so you’ll have leftovers (“If you’re making a meat loaf, make two,” she says). For Wednesdays, Costello offers recipes you can prepare in one pot or one skillet for easy cleanup. Thursdays are all about thrift and using ingredients you likely have in your pantry — no grocery shopping required. Her Friday suggestions are pure whimsy, such as pimento cheese pockets and spicy sushi bakes. Saturdays are no-fuss, with slow-cooker recipes that will have dinner waiting after a day out and about. Costello’s Sunday suppers are an opportunity to make a meal fit for gathering and entertaining the whole family. There’s also a chapter on desserts to satisfy a reader’s sweet tooth. Costello provides helpful tips along the way so that readers can stay organized. 

As with many TikTok stars, Costello’s platform grew quickly during the isolation and boredom of the COVID-19 pandemic. She volunteered to help her youngest daughter, Elizabeth Ariola, with her three little ones, including a new baby, and moved in temporarily. While the kids napped, Ariola suggested Costello make a TikTok video demonstrating a family recipe.