In the Danza family, the men did most of the cooking -- great Italian-American food that has remained the favorite cuisine in American households for more than a century.

Now, actor, television personality, and exuberant cook Tony Danza and his son, Marc (and grandson, Nicholas!), invite you into the kitchen with their huge, at times hilarious, Italian-American clan for 50 top-secret family recipes (the sauce and the lasagna) and never-before-shared stories and photographs.

You'll meet Tony's mom and dad, and Tony's mom's family, the Camisas. You'll meet Marc's family and of course his son, Nicholas. You'll meet the uncles, the aunts, and the cousins, all important people in Tony's and Marc's upbringing. You'll read stories about an Italian immigrant family that grew strong in America and really lived the American dream.

The stories are, for the most part, wrapped around the recipes and the food that was the center of family life: Uncle John's Pasta with Prosciutto Sauce, Mother's Lasagna, Chicken with Lemon and Garlic, Holiday Antipasto, Roasted Chicken and Potatoes, Escarole and Bean Soup, Ricotta Cheesecake, and even Tony and Marc's Quick or Date Sauce, a fabulous tomato sauce that's fast, easy, and sure to help you impress the ladies.

So pull up a chair, pick up a fork, and join Tony and Marc as they cook, eat, and laugh their way through the generations. And remember, "don't fill up on the antipasto."

Tony and Marc Danza

Foreword by Jackie Collins
In the Beginning
Words from the Son
The Father Speaks

First Courses

Don't Fill Up On the Antipasto

Holiday Antipasto
Calamari
Bruschetta

Marc's Super Bowl Guacamole

Baked Clams

Salads

"Gee, We Hate to Waste a Good Salad"Danza Everyday Salad
Arugula, White Bean, and Red Onion Salad
Marc's Eggplant, Lemon, and Caper Salad
Insalate Tricolore
Tony's Caprese Salad

Soups

Nothing Like a Nice Bowl of Soup
Tied to a Tree

Roasted Chicken Soup

Pizza

You Gonna Eat that Last Piece of Pizza?
Pizza Dough
The Rest of the Pie
Grandma's Sicilian Pizza

Pasta

Two MinutesBolognese Sauce with Spaghetti
Quick or Date Sauce
Sherman Oaks Pesto with Fusilli and Chicken

Uncle John's Pasta with Prosciutto Sauce

Sunday Sauce with Meatballs

Roasted Vegetable Pasta
Pasta with Garlic and Oil
Pasta Nicky

Seafood Pasta

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes, Arugula, and Clams

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

You're Eating Too Much Bread. Eat Bread!

Cha Cha's Braciole

DessertsNot Big Bakers

Ricotta Cheesecake
Meringues
Tiramisù

The Broadway Elixir

Acknowledgments and a Story
Index