I've only got one pet peeve, and it's a stylistic one: cookbooks are like food porn. When I see a beautifully constructed dish presented in all of its glory, I am inspired to put in a little bit of extra time and effort. There are only a handful of pictures here, and they are included as inserts, requiring you to flip back to the recipe to see what it would look like. Her publisher would have been wise to pony up a bit more for some photography.

In any case, I'm excited to bring Antonia Lofaso home. I wish Antonia she could actually come to my house to make dinner (Antonia, if you're reading this, we both live in LA!); but since that doesn't look like it's happening in the near future, this cookbook is a great substitute.

If even an iota of her cooking prowess wears off, I'll be golden. -Eva