Welcome!

Welcome to my new cooking blog!  Cooking is in my blood!  My father was the oldest son of Italian Immigrants.  My mother was born and raised in the southern United States...Georgia, to be exact.  I've lived the best of both worlds!  Both of my parents were wonderful cooks!  This blog will be the place I come to talk about my Italian/Southern upbringing and all the wonderful culinary treats that I've been blessed to enjoy.

I must tell you right up front..I'm not that great at cooking.  However, it's in my blood and the more I practice...the more I am able to use cooking as a creative outlet...the better I will become.

My father was an Italian and Catholic!  That might not mean much to you, but to me, this says everything!  For one thing, family meals, holiday meals and church meals were what made my dad tick!  He would plan a menu for days and days.  He never made a small meal.  He died when I was 17.  At that age, I wasn't interested in cooking and I didn't realize what a treasure I had lost by not writing down recipes and techniques.  Even today, I try so very hard to remember ingredients and cooking times for various dishes.
One of the first things I remember watching my dad make was fried zucchini flowers and polenta!  My mouth waters as I type.  My father's favorite word was..."MANGIA"!

My mother's nickname was "Georgia Peach"!  She was the wizard of all things fried...chicken, corn, okra, cabbage, pork chops, etc.  You name it, she fried it!    I grew up eating grits for breakfast, collard greens and corn bread for lunch, and smothered pork chops for supper along with the an occasional tomato sandwich as a snack.  My mom died in 2006, however, years earlier she wrote down her recipe for Brunswick Stew!  I'm so blessed to have that in her very own handwriting!  Her favorite word was..."FIDDLESTICKS"!

This blog will be a place to share my cooking successes...and my failures.  My goal is to post a picture with every entry.  Let's see how this goes!