Ciao from Debbie!

As you know, I love to cook! I wanted to use my love of cooking to spend time with my neighbors so decided to offer some cooking lessons...But what in the world could an American teach an Italian in the kitchen??? Then one day it came to me that they might like to make homemade bread. I find bread to be one of the least expensive things to make--and there's nothing quite like warm, fresh bread right out of the oven to go with a meal.  With that in mind, I made up a little i...

I met Stephanie in Grand Rapids two years ago, a delightful student at Calvin College. Since then, Stephanie came to work as an RA at Black Forest Academy in Kandern, Germany. In December she wrote to ask if she could come visit us with a friend, Julie, over her Christmas break. And so last week, we enjoyed several days together, sightseeing in the Torino area and cooking in my kitchen.

I heard it said that making risotto is a little bit like riding a bicycle: It takes a little bit of practice to begin with, and a certain amount of concentration thereafter. While most of us think of pasta when we consider Italian foods, rice was introduced here in Italy by the Arabs who dominated Sicily centuries ago. Since the northern, marshy terrain of Piemonte—where we live—was conducive to growing rice, risotto has become a popular staple in northern Italy. I began experimen...

One of the benefits of being married to Larry is having an Italian mother-in-law, Brigida! She grew up in the Naples area, married Larry's father, a U.S. serviceman, and now lives in Virginia Beach. Each summer she comes back to visit her sister in Naples--and this year came up to see us outside of Torino. Her Italian accent and lively personality keep us smiling.

One of my favorite things to do is to pass on my love of cooking to younger women. Courtney, a young American wife and mother who has lived in Avigliana for 3 years, has been an eager learner--and that makes Matt happy! She and I got together one day to make Lemon Mousse Cake from my new book, Around Our Table.

Italians love their food, and we love it too! One of my favorite things to do is to learn from an Italian how to make one of their recipes. Each region of Italy prides itself in their particular recipes, and our region of Piedmont ("Piemonte" in Italian, which means "at the foot of the mountains") is no different. When my friend and neighbor, Maria Angela, offered to show me how to make Bunet, she insisted that the recipe she shared with me was actually called Bunet di Cuneo. Again, I saw how...