While visiting the Emilia-Romana region in Northern Italy, my friend Marcello took me to the town of Faenza, best known for the ceramic factories. After an afternoon of shopping for hand painted dessert plates to take home, Marcello took me to his favorite restaurant, Villa Golini where Chef Nicola let me cook with him.

Some of the sweetest strawberries I’ve ever eaten was at a trattoria just outside Rome. It was the beginning of summer, and the tiny berries were just going out of season. In fact, the chef told me I had been given the last ones he had in his kitchen.

When I was in high school home economics class, we spent two days making fried pies. At that time, I thought fried pies only came in little packages at the convenience store. I had no idea you could actually make them yourself. Although I love nearly everything fried, I prefer my hand pies baked with coarse sugar on top. Blueberry hand pies are probably my favorite dessert of the summer, especially when blueberries are ripe and sweet at the farmers market.

When I was in college I studied abroad for a semester. One weekend, my friend Piper and I went to Greece. We spent a day on a boat visiting three Greek islands. When we were at Hydra we found a small estiatório serving fresh bread and fried feta. It was covered in sesame seeds and honey that had been harvested on the island.

Oh how I love a perfectly sweet and ripe peach during the heat of the summer! I also enjoy plums and nectarines, as well as other stone fruits. When I’ve got my grill fired up I love to throw on some fruit so they can absorb a smoky flavor that elevates just about any dish, whether sweet or savory.

There are many pedestrian streets in Athens lined with travernas selling grilled meats and souvlaki. If you venture off the beaten path you’ll find quieter places where the pace is much slower, and the food is prepared with a bit more care. At one such place, I had the most delicious mint sauce, made in a mortar and pestle at the table.

If there is just one dish I can make with my eyes closed it’s bolognese. I first made it with Francesca Tori in Bologna, Italy. She explained that it is best served with tagliatelle pasta, and never spaghetti. “Americans invented spaghetti and meat sauce. We would never put spaghetti with meat sauce”, she told me.

In parts of southern Italy pine nuts and oranges grow in abundance, and are used in many different dishes, both sweet and savory. I happen to love the combination of chocolate and oranges, so this is one my favorite desserts. It uses no flour, so it’s perfect for those who are gluten-free. The eggs cause the cake to be light and airy with a fudgy texture that is impossible to resist, especially covered in whipped cream!

Bolognese is traditionally made with slow simmered beef and rich tomato sauce, but I’ve broken that tradition with this version that isn’t often found in Italy. Every ingredient in this sauce brings a unique element of flavor that blends perfectly, and is particularly perfect on a chilly day.

When I was in Cusco, Peru I had the opportunity to participate in a “pisco tasting” of thirteen different piscos. Pisco is a clear or light colored brandy made from Peruvian grapes, and depending on the way it’s made, the flavor differs just like other fine brandies. Perhaps the most famous cocktail in Peru is the pisco sour.

Marcello took me to the city of Parma in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It was only an hour from his home in Bologna, and he surprised me with a private tour in a salumificio (prosciutto factory). Prosciutto de Parma can only be made in the province of Parma, and the pigs eat on grains and the whey from Parmesan cheese, also made in Parma.

The Gimlet cocktail was reputedly first created in Great Britain on a ship for sailors to get their daily source of citrus to prevent scurvy. I’ve added some simple syrup and club soda to make a more festive version for the holidays. You could even add a splash of cranberry juice to give it a hint of pink. Cheers!

Peloponnese is a region of Greece about an hour’s drive from Athens. There are coastal villages and rustic villas on cliffs overlooking the Aegean Sea. The cuisine is simple and fresh, with lots of fresh fruits, nuts, and some of the best wine and olive oil in Greece. While visiting the area, I had my share of baklava in various cafes and restaurants, and was eager to try something new for a sweet snack.

Potato soup is one of the easiest soups to make, and I because I love a loaded baked potato, I make my soup with all the toppings I would use on a loaded baked potato, including cheese, bacon, and chives. If that isn’t enough, I add chopped tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream.

It’s rare that I post a recipe where most of the ingredients are not home-made, but sometimes it’s just not necessary to go to the trouble. My favorite gingerbread mix is from Williams Sonoma, but I’m sure there are other great boxed mixes.

Many cultures have some version of rice pudding, but this one from Indonesia has become one of my favorites. It is typically served at breakfast, but it's also a nice dessert treat. It's made from glutinous black rice, a common ingredient in Indonesia that can be found in most Asian grocery stores. I first had this dish in Bali at the home of Nina, a beautiful woman who cooks all day for her entire extended family.

I’ll never forget the narrow alleyways of Lyon, France where small restaurants called bouchons were crowded with small tables and chairs teetering on the cobblestone street. People were eating sandwiches, soups, and the frisée salad that was named after the city.

It was a rainy day in Paris, and I decided to dry off by tucking into a little bistro in the St. Germaine neighborhood where I was staying. Inside, there was one vacant table waiting just for me. Everyone was happily drinking wine and snacking, while laughing in spite of the rain. I asked the maître d’ what he thought I should order. “The steak tartare, madame, without question.”

I never got the recipe for my mother’s pot roast, and I’m not even sure she followed a recipe. My fondest memory was the pan in which it was cooked. It was bright yellow, and nearly too heavy for me to carry when I was a young girl. I only recall having roast on Sundays when she cooked it all morning while we were at church.