I have an Irish/Italian background so why not combine the best of both worlds and create my parent's signature dish: Pasta with garlic mashed potatoes. Spaghetti topped with runny, creamy buttery garlic infused mashed potatoes and parmesan cheese. A little heavy on the starches but this is serious comfort food! And that's what food is all about: comfort, pleasure and bringing people together around a table. I love to cook (and eat) Italian food - it's the 'good stuff' I grew up on. My American husband has since introduced me to all things southern...from Louisiana to be precise. Haven't made his gumbo yet but I'll get there. I love the flavours of Middle Eastern foods, Turkish, Greek and Lebanese. I am currently trying a few recipes from these cuisines so I'll keep you posted! As a kid I used to make Italian sausages with my dad in the garage and had the job of cleaning the pig's intestines for the skins. I've also had to pluck many a chicken late on a school night. Sometimes food is more important than homework! Good memories include eating raviolini in chicken broth on Christmas day and making pizzas with my Nonna. Another tradition I have is to make myself a beautiful birthday cake every year. Once I made an entire lasagne from scratch out of crepes instead of pasta sheets. Talk about a melt in your mouth sensation! I also made about 100 arancini (rice balls stuffed with bolognese sauce and cheese and deep fried) when I was in Sicily. Don't get me started on cakes that stick to the pan! Now that I have discovered nonstick baking paper that's a thing of the past. Also, I confess to being seafood-challenged...if it comes from the ocean, I have no idea how to cook it! As a result, I just don't eat seafood at all.