Welcome! A little about the blog and me.

Welcome to my blog and my crazy chaotic life! I'm new to this blogging thing, but I thought there may be a few other folks out there interested in some of the recipes I've collected over the years. I also hope there are people interested in sharing tips and recipes, too.

Food has always been focal point in my life. Growing up in an Italian family, it is impossible to not be tuned into food. I  have been in love with cooking and baking my entire life; even before I was old enough to have an Easy Bake Oven. Instead of tea parties, I used to force my dad to sit down to fake meals on my miniature Tupperware set. When I was older, I played restaurant, and if the participants were willing, I would serve them actual food. It was mostly leftovers from the fridge, but my brothers' friends were big fans of leftover pizza.

I spent many days with my grandmother in her kitchen watching her cook and learning my way around the kitchen. She is really the reason I became interested in food. From her I learned that a few simple ingredients can yield outstanding results. We made numerous batches of homemade macaroni, meatballs, sauce, cookies, and... I could go on for a lifetime.

From my Dad I learned how important it is that if a person loves food, they need to love the right foods, indulge in moderation and pair the passion for food with exercise. When I was very young, he suffered a heart attack at 37 years old. I learned more about cholesterol than any 5-year-old should. I also learned that how what you eat affects your health at a young age; much younger than most people. I grew up my entire life concerned about arterial plaque, exercise and heart health.

As an adult, making choices about food is difficult (as you all know) especially when you have a love affair with food like I do! Finding time to cook healthy meals is next to impossible. And finding something both my husband and I like is also very challenging.

I've found there are a few meals that I have created over the years that we continually come back to - I'll be sure to post the recipes as they occur to me.

I also like to experiment with new recipes and ingredients as time allows - sometimes life is just too crazy and we go for the basics (or take out!). I'll be sure to share the results of my experiments with you, too.