Hello World

Hello World, it’s me, Jess.  Just a girl trying to beat the endless battle with the scale all the while being creative to bring a little bit of happy into our lives.  I’m a girl who loves, loves, loves, did I mention loves, food.

I grew up in a family of amazing cooks which developed my passion for good food.  My mother is from Italy and it really goes without saying that this is where it all started.  I have such fond memories of being at my Nona’s house with everyone gathered around the dining room table eating course after course after course.  It seemed that the food just never stopped coming out of the kitchen.  We would be sitting for hours talking, having amazing food that would eventually turn into playing cards into the late hours.  My Nona was well-known in our Italian community of friends and family as being one of the best cooks.  She could make the lightest, most delicate pasta that would just melt in your mouth.  It was my absolute favorite and she would make sure every time we visited, she had some made special for me.  Amazing!  I love you Nona!  Since we didn’t live very close to my Nona’s house, my parents took on the challenge of recreating these masterpieces at home.  Of course, nothing my Nona made could be found written down, as it was all in her beautiful mind and she never measured anything, it was all by eye and always perfect.  So with endless effort, my parents not only mastered these dishes but it grew into a real passion of cooking food of all types.

My father is American and this side of my family is a mix of different nationalities that created a wonderful influence in cooking as well.  Two my fondest memories with my grandmother on this side is baking and sewing.  Some of the sweet treats that my grandmother would make were unique old family recipes that I never had anywhere else before and became such treasures every time we had them.  She would make these delicious soft white cookies that were like little cakes and it seemed that there was always pie.  Oh, so many sweet, yummy, pies!  And as was the case with my Nona’s dishes, my parents mastered these creations as well and more.

My parents also became known in their circle of friends and community as exceptional cooks. Whenever there was to be a dish to be made for an event, they were happy to share and never disappointed.  Plates always came home empty.

Growing up and having friends over, they would always ask what the special occasion was because there was all this food for meals, snacks or desserts.  But this was just the norm in our house.  Later did I realize after spending time in my friends’ homes, this was not normal.  Not all families ate this way and not everyone could cook.  I would come home hungry for longing for my parent’s cooking.

Needless to say, growing up surrounded by such amazing cooks developed my love of food.  And with it also came my battle with my weight.  It seems I’ve been trying every diet and exercise fad since I was a teenager.  Now as I’m getting older, married with two very active kids, I’m ready to get serious and beat the battle with my scale.  I want to become a stronger, healthier me as well as create a healthy home and lifestyle for my family.

I plan to document my progress and detail my exercise routine as well as recipes that are healthy but most importantly have passed my foodie taste test and approved by my most pickiest eaters (my kids!).

Since life isn’t going to stop and allow me to just focus on my weight, I will also be posting crafty ideas (my second passion) that I have created for school projects, teacher gifts, class parties, fun for home, and more.

Please sign up to receive email notices and support me on my challenge to a stronger, healthier me.  I look forward to sharing this journey with you.

Sincerely,

Jess