Last week, Alex, my favorite niece in the whole wide world, got engaged. She happens to be my one and only niece, so I can say she’s my favorite without hurting anyone’s feelings. I have a notion that if I had 100 nieces it would still be true—I’d just have to be more tactful about [...]
I know it’s redundant, but I am an Italian foodie. My two sisters and I grew up in a thoroughly Italian household with a Sicilian mom and a Neopolitan dad—both equally good cooks. My dad and uncle owned a small Italian restaurant together, and it was the place to go for great home style Italian food, including wonderful homemade pizza. My dad has passed on; but, to this day, even if my 80-plus-year-old mom doesn’t know you’re coming, she’ll pull a 5-course meal out of the fridge in no time flat.
