If you've ever wished you could hang out with Lidia Bastianich, here's your chance.
Not in person, exactly -- for that, you'll have to try to catch Pittsburgh's (and America's) favorite Italian chef next time she's in town at her popular Strip District restaurant, Lidia's Pittsburgh -- but via your computer screen, as part of Parade magazine 's first-ever Google Hangout.
Today at 3 p.m., Lidia will be talking about holiday traditions and cooking in general in front of a webcam-equipped laptop at Google's New York City offices. Also participating in the 45-minute live chat will be her daughter, Tanya Bastianich-Manuali, Kansas City Star food editor Jill Silva and Parade food editor Sarah DiGregorio.
Yours truly also will be representing the Post-Gazette and PG Plate (look for my face at the bottom of your computer screen), and while I'm nervous about this new form of technology, I'm pretty excited about it, too. I can't wait to ask Lidia about how she really celebrates Christmas (being from Northern Italy, does she share Pittsburgh's obsession with the Feast of the Seven Fishes?) and also could use some expert advice on how to infuse my holiday table with Italian sparkle.
I'm also hoping she'll share some insight into her latest release, "Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cookbook," which is one of my favorite cookbooks of 2013. I've tested several of its 150-plus recipes for the PG -- pictured on the right is Peppers Piedmontese, top, and Pizza di Patate, bottom -- and look forward to cooking my way through it next year.
To watch the chat and post a question for Lidia, click here.
Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette food photos
First Published: July 3, 2015, 12:20 a.m.