Teresa Giudice Denies Criticizing Caroline Manzo in Her Cookbook

Teresa Giudice has a new cookbook out titled "Fabulicious," but it seems that the publication features some notes that didn’t make her "Real Housewives of New Jersey" co-start Caroline Manzo too happy. In the introduction to the book, the 39-year-old Giudice notes that Manzo "is as Italian as the Olive Garden" and that she is "a huge fan of Caroline Manzo, even if she is only one-sixteenth Italian, or whatever she is." It appears that questioning someone’s Italian heritage is taboo among the housewives.

Manzo was reportedly a bit annoyed with the small attacks, but eventually became more offended when Giudice criticized her son Chris and, specifically, his business ideas. Giudice has noted that everything she wrote was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, more of a gentle joke than anything else. Says Giudice, "My cookbooks are not ‘bashing books.’ They’re fun and funny and unique, like me."

Added Giudice, "If I meant any harm, I wouldn’t have put a big, beautiful picture of her in there. You don’t see any of Danielle Staub or Kim G. in there, do you?" To be fair, Giudice has teased Manzo often in the past, and in public. She joked around on the Rachael Ray Show about Manzo and she added that the "million of compliments to the Manzos in the book make it very, very clear I was kidding."

It sounds like amends from Giudice, but then she also added a seemingly very real barb: "I remember when I was writing my very first book proposal, Caroline was also trying to sell her own cookbook. Caroline told me I was doing it wrong, that I wasn't smart enough, that I didn't have the right agent, the right co-writer, the right anything. I took her criticism like I always do, with a smile, and did what I wanted to anyway. And my book got picked up. Caroline's didn't. Not one publisher wanted it. I don't know why. I wish everyone success in all they do, but I can't help it hers didn't get published."