What makes Everyday Italian different from all of the other cooking shows on TV?
Giada De Laurentiis: I’ve created recipes and simplified them with ingredients you can find at your local grocery store. It’s fine to use marinara sauce from a jar — if that’s the only way I can get you into the kitchen. TV Guide: Italian cooking isn’t exactly low-cal, but you look amazing. What’s your secret? De Laurentiis: Portion control. I eat everything, but I eat small amounts of everything. And I do outdoor activities like hiking and biking. TV Guide: With the current Atkins, no-carb craze, do you find yourself having to defend Italian food? De Laurentiis: Yeah. People don’t realize that pasta isn’t the only thing Italians eat. We eat a lot of vegetables, chicken, meat and fish. Everyone looks at me and asks how I stay so thin when I eat all that pasta. But I don’t always eat pasta. TV Guide: What is your first memory of food? De Laurentiis: It would probably be in the kitchen with my mother. She used to make us these Parmesan crisps, and I’d help her put little mounds of them o
