By now you know that I shoot two episodes of the series in my home garden, the Ciao Italia garden which is lovingly cared for by my husband Guy who has maintained the garden since the show’s inception and who has been gardening all his life. He is the head gardener …

Italians have a saying when making risotto; it has to be “all’onda”( on the wave). In other words, it needs to come out creamy, fall off the spoon and not be a sticky glob of rice. So instant rice will not do for making risotto; you need a semi-fino grad…

The first of the California asparagus is in! Some tips for purchasing: Look for tight closed tips and no splits in the stems. Stalks should look vibrant; if they are limp, just pass. Asparagus will keep a few days in the refrigerator if you stand the bunch in a glass o…

I am often amazed at what cleaning out the freezer can do in the way of providing the just right ingredients for supper, so bright and early before anyone was up I was taking inventory, discarding stuff too old to use and delighting in those foods for thaw way back in the…

Lets talk about avocados. First of all they are a powerhouse of goodness and there are two main types (Haas and Fuerte) grown in California and Florida. Avocados are a fruit and when purchasing them look for those that are dark green in color and heavy in your hand. Let t…