What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci

The Christmas holidays have a lot of strange food rituals associated with it. I have no interested in peppermint bark, eggnog smoothies, or any coffee drink with a holiday theme. What I do like to eat during the holiday season is Italian food. Think of a rich marinera sauce, ribbons of pasta in a homemade pesto or a light-as-a feather stracciatella soup. This is the domain of Stanley Tucci’s new book “What I Ate in One Year.” The award-winning actor and best-selling author has chronicled all the food he consumed in one year in London, where he lives, and abroad on various business trips. Many of the meals feature his wife Felicity and their young children Millie and Mateo. He also has three children from his first marriage to his late wife, Kate. He learned to love food from his parents, so it makes sense that one of the things he loves to do is make food for his family, as well as the handful of celebrity friends who parade through his kitchen. Judging from what he eats, you would think Tucci was a much larger man than he is. But daily workouts as well as steering clear of fast and junk food keep him trim. For the most part, he prepares his meals himself, even on his movie sets where he often makes his own soup for the week. The book is charming, witty and exactly like the man himself. I listened to it on audio and couldn’t wait to get in my car each day to spend time with Stanley. Whether he was dishing on a terrific restaurant in Rome, or critiquing the food in an airport lounge, his recipes about family and food are entertainment from the appetizer to the dessert. To buy this book on Amazon click here.