-I'm Italian-American

-...And some days I'm Jewish by choice

-Most of my recipes have an Italian and "old New York" influence

-I love to make easy, comfortable meals

-Eli Zabar's Vinegar Factory is my weakness

-I'm desperate for copper pots but sad they are such high maintenance

-I refer to my kitchen as the DiPierri Test Kitchen

-I LOVE cheese

-I think Extreme Couponing is the new Supermarket Sweep

-I'm an avid cookbook collector and keep an ever-changing stack on my night table

-I sometimes refer to Italy as The Motherland

-My mother looks like Joy Behar and expresses emotions over food like Emeril

-Growing up my mother used to make us go around the table and tell her our favorite thing on the plate

-When referring to "pasta" I call it "macaroni" (I think this is a New York thing...)

-I do small space gardening on our fire escape

Somedays, I'm way too tired to schelp to the store or cook and when that happens here are our go-to places for a nosh or an abbondanza:

-Paola's, For scrumptious italian and classic Upper East Side people watching. 1295 Madison Ave (at 92nd St)

-Cafe Habana, for a succulent and juicy cuban sandwich. 17 Prince St. (at Elizabeth St.)

-Uncle Nick's, just good greek homecooking. 747 Ninth Ave. (at 50th St.)

-Match 65, our go-to french bistro; pricey but well worth it. 29 E. 65th St. (at Madison Ave.)

-Sant Ambroeus, for frothy strong cappuccinos and jewel-like Italian pastries. 1000 Madison Ave. (btwn 77th and 78th St.)

-Suzie's Chinese Restaurant, an old new york haunt for greasy slobbish fat-pig good chinese. 163 Bleecker St. (btwn Thompson and Sullivan St.)