Every time I think I have something under control, it changes and I don't have it under control. I think it takes several years to get there. Jade is 19 months old, so right now I'm on alert all the time. And as a mom I think you're constantly worrying about things.

My mother and I, our favorite part of any baked pasta is the top, where the cheese gets crusty.

I have been blessed with a good, fun, and wonderful life, but I've also seen a whole lot of pain.

I write everything down. I e-mail the second I think of something, or I write notes in my BlackBerry calendar. I set up reminder alerts on my phone. And I have a notebook by my bedside so I can write down any last-minute ideas.

Food brings people together on many different levels. It's nourishment of the soul and body; it's truly love.

I'm most comfortable in T-shirts, but they have to have some style to them.

Food was always a big part of my life. My grandfather was one of 14 kids, and his parents had a pasta factory, so as a kid, he and his siblings would sell pasta door to door. After he became a movie producer, he opened up De Laurentiis Food Stores - one in Los Angeles and one in New York.