Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Pasta Primavera

with cream and a little sugar

I love plain dark chocolate.

cream and sugar

with shaved parmesan-reggiano and crusty bread

sugar and half'n'half.

Ribeye

with cheese and crackers

dark chocolate covered caramels

milk or half n half and a spoonful of sugar.

The most memorable Italian meal I've ever eaten was a typical family dinner at my childhood home. My mother would make a pot of spaghetti sauce, pasta, meatballs, popat (fried breadcrumb and cheese dumplings), bracciole, salad, and garlic bread. We had this meal every month or so, and it was delicious! My mother wasn't Italian, but my father was, and his mother taught mine to make his favorites. If she also baked pies for dessert, well then we were all just SO happy! My mom made the BEST cream pies.

Using a small metal scoop for portioning out cookie dough. I get a lot of compliments about how perfectly round my cookies are. It may not seem important to some, but for a baking enthusiast like me, it's a big deal.