Favorite foods: Pasta, cheese, and chocolate are always at the top of my list. I've been eating a lot of peaches and fancy cheeses lately and I'm going through a killer Oreo addiction right now.
Favorite cooking utensils and appliance(s): I got a Ninja for my new apartment and have tried it out once—pretty excited about it so far.
Favorite chef(s): Giada De Laurentiis
Favorite cookbook(s): Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Italian.
Favorite food TV show(s): I've been watching Food Network's Chopped again lately and I absolutely love it.
Favorite food blog/website(s): I check out TasteSpotting on an almost weekly basis for inspiration—they collect recipes from all over and the food photography is amazing! I also check out recipes posted to Pinterest and save recipes I want to try on my own Pinterest pinboard.
Favorite restaurant(s): The Cazbah in Greenville, SC and Lidia's Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA.
Favorite type of food(s) to cook: Italian. I grew up eating my dad's small pasta shells with garlic, butter, olive oil, and Parmesan and my mom's spaghetti and meatballs, and I now absolutely love to make any dish that involves pasta. I love experimenting with Asian dishes though, and I'm working on using other starches and grains in my dishes (red potatoes are a current favorite and I'm hoping to use brown rice more often).
Favorite dish(s) that I've made: Giada De Laurentiis' Ziti with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzarella, and Prosciutto. Check out the post where I share my version of this recipe. I also loved these Italian-style burgers!
Biggest cooking flop(s): Check out my post about listening to your gut, and be very very careful when you use anchovies in a dish. Oh, and then there was that minted pea sauce fiasco.
Biggest cooking success(s): Making fresh pasta for the first time at home!-It turned out so well!
