I guess I'll start my first blog with how I arrived at this and where I came from...
I know, a blonde haired , blue eyed Sicilian doesn't exactly sound quite right, but I came from a father who was Irish , English and my Mom who was full blooded Sicilian. Make sense now? My Mom and Dad split when I was toddler and I was raised with all my Mom's side of the family, all the Italian side! Which also meant I stuck out like a sore thumb in family photos when everyone else was darker complected than me and had dark hair and eyes. Lol!
I have wonderful memories growing up and sitting at Grandma's table and whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, the first words uttered were always, "C'mon, mangia! "
meaning " Come on, eat!" I picked up a few Italian words from Grandma growing up, but unfortunately, she never spoke fluent Italian with us except for when her brother or sisters were around. She would say " We're in America ,why should I speak Italian ?" But, years later I also found out from her of truly why she let go of the idea of that. She shared with me and one of my cousins about being discriminated against as a very young Sicilian girl. Her full name was Antonina Leone, but she started going by Ann as she grew older because of how she was treated when she would be asked her name. But, that didn't stop my love of all things Italian as I grew up. My Mom had that same love, I know I got that from her!
Where it all started! Salvatore and Antonina Gallina, my Grandma & Grandpa
My Beautiful Grandma
My Mom, Nancy and me at a our most favorite place to be... the beach!!
My love of cooking started when I was in my late teens, just wanted to do something that was my own and that I enjoyed. I was a stay at home Mom for 16 years while I raised my 4 kids, so I had plenty of time to work on and learn new and different techniques and recipes . Over the years, I've paid close attention to Italian cooking shows specifically, with lots of practice , plenty of failures ( I still have some of those with recipes that I'm trying to tweek!) I'm still growing and learning! I enjoy the process! I just want to share them with everyone!
Mom and me in 2011 I can't say that all my recipes are passed down from Grandma and Mom, but a couple of them are definately recipes that I learned by watching them. I took what I saw them do and I put my own spin on them and gave them a little boost. There will be plenty Italian recipes that I will share with you since Italian is my absolute favorite, but I will also share other recipes that I've created or even stumbled across over the years that I put my own twist on.
Starting this blog for me is bittersweet as my Mom isn't around anymore to actually see it. I think she'd get a kick out of it! I lost her to Parkinson's Disease Oct. 2, 2014. I miss her so much and see her in so much of what I do! There is so much of her in me! This blog is dedicated to her. I hope I make her proud!
In my heart of hearts, I believe that cooking good food for family and friends is one of the very best ways to show my love for them. So, I hope you'll join me as I start this adventure!
So, Andiamo!! ( Let's go!!)
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