With Alice.com, you don’t have to spend half the afternoon at a big-box store searching for toilet bowl cleanser and rafts of paper towels. That’s convenient. So how will you make the most of those blessed free hours?

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably going to spend it eating. Especially now that it’s cold and dreary and your body is kicking into full hibernation mode. You can’t fight biology, so you may as well make some pasta.

How To Cook Like the Italians

To cook like an Italian, you need to find some Italians and request their secrets. If there aren’t any Italians kicking back with a glass of red in your kitchen right now, feel free to check the bookstore.

Try Giada de Lauren’s Everyday Italian. With a name like Giada, she’s got some definite Roman street cred. But the real selling point here is the subtitle: “125 Simple and Delicious Recipes.” Simple and delicious are my only two requirements when it comes to things I make myself.

Next up, make sure you have plenty of olive oil and garlic. Pretty much anything can be made more Italian with the addition of olive oil and garlic. People are even putting garlic and olive oil in ice cream these days. I don’t necessarily recommend this.

Next, put in a thematically-appropriate movie. For a heartwrenching World War II-era saga, try Life is Beautiful. If you’re more a romantic-comedy type of person, rent Only You with Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. Or you can always go full-on Fellini with La Dolce Vita or Roma.

Any food you cook is automatically more Italian with one of these playing in the background, the language and culture seeping into your noodles by osmosis.

In your best Italian accent, dish on your favorite Italian recipes and dishes below.