My mom wasn't a very good cook or so I thought back then. I love to try new things and to excel in them the next time when they don't turn out so great the first time. Married with 3 dogs and a cat. We have out of town guests quite often since moving to the country. I really like Italian dishes. Growing up my mom never had anything like spaghetti and meatballs, tomato sauce, pizza, lasagna, raviolis, nothin'. I was in my late teens before I even saw a pizza. I thought 'how gross', but now it's one of my favorites. Traditions? Not sure of ever having any. I'll have to get back to ya on that one. My first husband was Italian so I tried to make him an Italian dish. Forget what it was but it called for a clove of garlic. Good Grief!! Noone could enter the house for hours ~ I chopped and chopped that whole bulb up and put it all in a saucepan on the stove. Phew!! A lesson well learned.