Fasten Your Seatbelts ...

A good friend of mine suggested that I start a food blog.

"You're crazy," I said. "Ever since 'Julie and Julia' it seems like everyone has a food blog. Why would mine be any different?"

"But you talk about food SO OFTEN on Facebook. You should think about it," she said.

Well, I thought. And thought. I decided she was right. It seems like that's all I talk about -- not just on Facbook either. I guess I can't help it. I LOVE FOOD. I get excited to share about the culinary creations that come to life inside the confines of my little kitchen. In return, I get beggings for recipes and comments about how hungry my posts seem to make my "followers". So, I figure I'll give it all a whirl.

My background? My love of cooking began in my parents' kitchen. Some of my fondest memories of home took place there, watching and helping my parents cook dinner, make pancakes, toss in a little of this and a little of that. It seemed as though there was just SOMETHING about the smell of garlic and butter in the frying pan that made it all so magical.

Though I now use olive oil instead of butter, I still love that scent in my kitchen. Sauteed Garlic should be a Yankee Candle "flavor".

Similar to the movie "Julie and Julia", cooking is my therapy. Rain or shine, good day or bad, my dinner menu awaits me when I get home and I relish the thought of chopping, sauteing, baking, boiling, mixing, roasting, grilling -- it is a miniature masterpiece just waiting to be devoured.

But wait -- there's more. I also like to find healthy alternatives for food. I go for low cal, low fat, low sodium recipes. But they are PACKED with flavor. In my family, there are many special diet requests that include the aforementioned and more. I even managed to lose 30 pounds myself with the recipes that I have used. (Okay, so I have only kept off 20, but that's a totally different blog.....)

Many people ask how I do it ... keep the fat and calories out of my recipes and still have them taste good. How can I say that making some of these intricate and exotic sounding recipes are EASY? I tell them it's very simple. I have a collection of "Hungry Girl" and "Weight Watchers" cook books that are all centered on simple food alternatives (like using fat free sour cream instead of egg and oil in baking) and creating meals in 30 minutes (relatively) or less. My day job is very demanding, so I keep it simple to ensure that dinner is served before it gets to be too late in the evening. The rest is all just fearlessness of food and an openness to try new flavors, dishes, vegetables or anything out of the ordinary.

My next posts will be centered on making appetizers and dessert for our Christmas Eve festivities with my dear husband and his family for our first try at La Vigilia de Natale, also known as Sette Mare (Seh-teh Mahr-eh) or a traditional Italian Christmas Eve feast of pastas and seafood. Photos of these tasty crustacean creations will follow, I promise. 

So, until next time, Buon Appetito!