Quotes from Debi Mazar

Sometimes in life you have to make a decision and make sacrifices.

Some people in LA are addicted. They have to be here. My personal life is stronger than my professional life, in terms of priorities.

When you come into our house, you get a flavor for our life, our travels, our kids, our 18-year-old poodle who is like, blind, deaf and incontinent but so happy.

I have a full Tuscan lunch and dinner every day in my home; my husband's a fantastic chef.

You know, you kind of lose some self-confidence after having kids because you'll never be the way you were. But I feel good.

A hero is somebody who is selfless, who is generous in spirit, who just tries to give back as much as possible and help people. A hero to me is someone who saves people and who really deeply cares.

Being a publicist is like management in a lot of ways - you're their friend, you're their mother, you're their confidante.

Lunch is formal - that's when my husband and I have our dates. And dinner is formal: we sit down every day with the kids at seven o' clock.

My mother was really young when she had me, so she was a horrible cook, but we lived with my grandmother, who was fantastic. We eventually got our own place, and my mother started learning to cook. But it was also the '70s, so she was very experimental, and, well - thank God we had a dog.

For holidays, I like doing special cheery touches around the table, like color-coordinating the plates and napkins to fit the theme.

Thanksgiving was always a favorite holiday for me. The preparation was fun! My grandma and I would walk to the butcher on Jamaica Avenue in Queens, order the bird, and buy all the fixings at the market.

We go to Italy every winter, and my husband's mother has a bingo party on Christmas. Every woman brings a dish: lentils, cavolo nero, tons of beans, polenta, every type of cheese, bruschetta, fresh vegetables, and local olive oil and wine.

I like to have my hair grow, because I need to have hair for different roles. But I'm a woman, so I'm always cutting my hair off and wishing that I hadn't.

I'm teaching my daughters to be ladies by showing them how to dress appropriately when they leave the house, and how to be thoughtful and polite.

With the breast-feeding, I really love the bonding. Real life is more important to me.

My husband is from Florence. And he has a 15th-century barn that is completely rustic and very 'Green Acres'-like.

My mom had me at 16 and took me every place she went. I remember going on peace marches. She tried to take me to Woodstock - it was pouring rain. It was on my birthday, and I was crying so much in the car they turned the car around and dumped me at my grandmother's house... I had a little attitude.

I live in Italy part time, and they're obsessed with what's happening in LA too. They make fun of Americans, but the world wants to know what's going on in Hollywood.

I used to live above Manganaro's, when old Times Square was still peaking, and it still had a lot of diners and theaters on the forty deuce, as they used to call it. It was full of character. And it wasn't Disneyland. Now it's so touristy and full of bright lights, I can't stand it. It's like going to a big mall.

Doing makeup was a way to create characters, only I got tired of doing it for other people.

I've always been a foodie. My grandmother got me hooked on cooking.

Life is just too short to count calories forever!

We have friends in Italy who have these old stoves, and they turn out the most beautiful food. All you really need is time, the best ingredients, and love.

I truly have a love-hate thing with the press.