Welcome to the new Cara’s Cucina! And boy are we starting off with a bang! None other than the Queen of Italian home cooking herself – Lidia Bastianich! Lidia is my extra special guest this week as we talk about her upcoming PBS special “Lidia Celebrates America: A Salute to First Responders”. Along with all things food, the power of cooking, and why Lidia thinks a little patch of dirt just MIGHT be the cure for the quarantine blues.

After the interview, I head to the Cucina to guide you step by step through Lidia’s breakfast risotto recipe! If you’ve never had rice and eggs for breakfast, you’ve been missing out! This recipe is (of course!) a knock out! The perfect way to start the day!

It’s all in this episode! Don’t forget to check out Lidia’s upcoming special on February 12th at 10p.m. on your local PBS station (the date was move after we taped the interview for anyone wondering).