“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

For me, it started about 15 years ago ~ my love affair with food (come on, what did you think this was about?) When I was a little girl, my Grandma Margaret would often bake bread when I would visit in the summers… still, there is nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread in the mornings! Oh, then to serve it lightly toasted with real butter and preserves ~ bliss! I remember my Grandmother Clines baking biscuits, cobblers and very fresh fried chicken (the snapping neck thing did something to end my love affair with meat ~ go figure!). Her Christmas pickles and cream gravy were heavenly treats, made even better by the pure joy on her face. I didn’t know exactly what that look meant back then, I just knew it somehow made her offerings that much better.  Love.  Pure and simple, it was love.  She loved being able to provide something that brought contentment to her family.  When she couldn’t show it any other way, she knew that heaping plate of biscuits would somehow convey the depth of her love for her family.  I know this now, because that is how I feel as I lovingly stir the batter, adding a rise of affection here, a pinch of gratitude there.  Whether having a Sicilian picnic with the Santos family and DB where we consumed freshly shaved prosciutto, salami, formaggi, frutta e vino;  or, hosting the airmen for holiday dinners at our various assignments; having a Thanksgiving pasta feast with dear friends in Perugia~ where we all added a bit of love and gratefulness to the meal ~

Showing my love for my family and friends by giving what I can of myself ~ you see, it comes from deep in my heart.  I think not about what I am going to make, but what would make someone’s day. It is with sheer joy, love and gratitude that I provide for you, my friends and family.

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”

― Mark Twain