Cooking Up an Italian Life: Simple Pleasures of Italy in Recipes and Stories

You don’t have to live in Italy to live like an Italian. In Cooking Up an Italian Life, an inviting collection of meals and stories, well-known food writer Sharon Sanders unites an Italian sensibility to an American lifestyle. Sanders lived, worked, and married in Italy—one of the few foreigners ever to wed in the celebrated Church of Santa Croce. With “What I Learned About Life from the Risotto King of Milan,” “I Brake for Italians, ” “My Dinner with Luciano,” and other spirited essays, Sanders escorts us to the Italy that is in everyone’s kitchen. Keenly aware of how sharing food enhances daily living, and in tune with the simplicity people crave today, she shares nearly 200 recipes made from seasonal produce, imported basics, and ingredients found in any supermarket. Most recipes are designed as complete meals at a glance. For special times, dozens of appetizer and dessert recipes may be added to the core dinners. Cooks ready for more ambitious projects may turn to “Making Rustic Bread,” “Capturing Summer Flavors for All Meals,” “Making Fresh Egg Pasta," or other lessons. The affordable wine recommendations enable everyone to raise a glass and offer a hearty salute to the spirit of Italy within all of us.

Sharon Sanders’ writing and recipes have appeared in Cooking Light, Food & Wine, American Health, Southwest Airlines Spirit, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other national publications. Sanders, a Certified Culinary Professional (CCP), is a former food reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times and the author of Slim Snacks and Prevention’s Low-Fat, Low-Cost Freezer Cookbook.

Linda Holt Ayriss, whose graceful illustrations evoke the simple beauty of Cooking Up an Italian Life, is the recipient of a silver-medal from the Best in the West Society of Illustrators. She has done commercial work for Chateau St. Michelle Winery, Alaska Airlines, and Nintendo. In addition, she has illustrated several children's books. Ayriss lives in the Seattle area.

Carol A. Berman, Certified Sommelier, is founder of Class in a Glass/The Traveling Sommelier. She presents the weekly “Wednesday Wine Buy” on Food Talk with Arthur Schwartz on Radio 710, WOR-AM, New York City.