IT MATTERS

Dontcha wanna, want Fontana?

Dontcha wanna?

This COW is a nice long drink of tall, dark, AND handy-some! Frank Fontana is the design guru for HGTV's 'Design on a Dime' and he's got 'get style for cheap' written all over him...probably in big bold harmonious colors that he found for pennies on the dollar at a discount store. Oh be still my heart! There is just something extra special about a talented, thrifty, Italian designer that just really gets the day started right!

Getting his start by winning ABC Television Networks 2004 Martha Stewart-themed reality competition "The Great Domestic Showdown". Mr. Fontana is not only a Designer on 'Design on a Dime' and 'Take Over My Makeover', he's also a columnist for the Chicago Sun Times.

Did I mention that this guy's pseudonym is "Italian Stallion"...oh, and "The Straight Guy, With a Queer Eye". Go check out his website for some really great design ideas in the photos section. Just click the pic below - Happy designing! And thanks to the "Italian Stallion" for being this week's HGTV Crewman of the Week!

So, it's been an embarrassingly long time since I've blogged...but I'm just going to blow right past that and jump into my newest obsession - food. Well, it's also my oldest and longest obsession and it's generally centered around the eating part rather than the making part. Hello!? I am Italian AND German AND American - food paves the way for every big event in my life.

And now, with my steady dive into domesticity, I have discovered a compulsive need to make tummy yummies. You know, the perfect cookie...a dazzling marinade...a pasta dish that is actually worth its caloric intake...! This need has been (partly) inherited from my momma and (partly) induced by copious hours spent watching cooking shows like 'Top Chef', 'Iron Chef', and any and everything on The Food Network.

I mean, are you kidding me!?! Who wouldn't want to know the secret to using curry in cooking?...Or the best way to make a basil pesto?...Or how to dress and tie a chicken for roasting?

So where do I go to feed this food habit? That would be allrecipes.com. This site is the most awesome recipe sharing site on the internet! You want to know how to make Goulash? No problem...this site can give you recipes that let you make it in the slow cooker, the microwave, or in your favorite stove top pan. You can break down every recipe according to your serving size needs...and get the nutritional information on each serving as well! Plus, you get the comments of people that have used the recipe and what improvements they made.

This site rocks like Van Halen! Seriously check it out and try some of my personal favs, like this "World's Best Lasagna" or this recipe for "Baklava" that will have everyone praising your culinary skills!