Satisfy your winter holiday comfort cravings with a freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. In my recipe, cinnamon and nutmeg add complexity to the cookies’ flavor profile, and oatmeal lends a compelling texture (plus a hint of nuttiness). My oatmeal chocolate chip cookies also make a great shareable treat for neighbors and loved ones.

This traditional Roman dish is my go-to when I am feeling run down and at risk of getting ill. I know the combination of abundant garlic and pepper will get my immune system’s attention and keep me in good health. Plus it is a super fast and flavorful recipe — perfect for a quick bite. My recipe is based on Marcella Hazan’s from Classic Italian Cooking, the only Italian food cookbook anyone needs to own!

This month, we are cooking up Pasta à la Puttanesca, which is a great pantry dish. Nearly all of the ingredients can be kept on hand indefinitely. By adding olive oil packed tuna, you get protein to make it into a complete one dish meal!

Continue your tour through my personal recipe journal with another Recipe of the Month! In keeping with the theme of belonging and sharing, and with the weather heating up, this month we are making Watermelon Salad—a great dish to bring to picnics. Easy to make, refreshing, and crowd-pleasing, what more could you ask for?

There’s nothing as soothing as warm soup on a chilly late fall day. Try Linda’s Umbrian lentil soup—a fan favorite of family and friends near and far.

Continue your tour through my food journal with another Recipe of the Month. This month I am sharing a recipe that is my son Luca's favorite dish. It can be cooked in a traditional oven, but if you are lucky enough to have a wood-burning oven (like I do up at the lake, thanks to my wonderful husband Alan) the wood smoke adds a depth of flavor that takes it to another level!

This is my Nonna’s recipe, it makes approximately 2 litres of broth. This broth is wonderful with cappelletti or for Stracciatella.

Yummy, creamy, bacon-y, Spaghetti Carbonara, is the mac n cheese of Italian pasta dishes. Interestingly, the origins of this popular dish are not clearly understood. In fact, its’ provenance is the subject of intense debate in Italy.

Risotto is the first dish I ever cooked. My father put me to work stirring the pot, standing on a kitchen stool, when I was 6 years old. He warned me not to drown the rice with broth, to stir it continuously, and to add more broth when my wooden spoon revealed the bottom of the pot. I have since then made this dish many times. Just as there are alternatives to meetings, there are alternative ways to cook risotto. I’m sharing the traditional recipe this month, and I will share the alternative recipe next month. (They are both really yummy!)