I'm not a chef, nor have I attended professional training. I'm not even a good photographer (I should
admit it). Though, I am an Italian girl with an infinite passion (or obsession?)
for cooking and eating. I love simple, good food. I also have a gorgeous
Italian boyfriend (he was, now he is my husband), who is the real photographer, my most severe judge and the
one who pushed me to create this blog.
My name is Alice, an under-thirty girl grown up in Feltre, a
small wonderful old town in the North-East of Italy surrounded by the
Dolomites. My mother is my real and unique teacher: she is always working in
her kitchen garden (where you can find almost everything), cooking for her
family or preparing jams and storing food. She has always suggested me to "rubare con gli occhi" (which literally means to steal with the eyes) when you want to learn something. And this is what I have
always been doing, in particular when working as a waitress.
I could say that kitchen is my reign. I'm not a shopping
fan, but when I enter in a store of kitchen utensils and equipment I could squander a
fortune! The same is for food and drinks, and of course I am not talking only about groceries: I love trying new dishes and wherever I go, I must sample local food and drinks.
Food is about sharing emotions. It's about gathering
around a table with your family and friends, having a good time together. Good food, good
wine or beer and pleasant people is the best picture of happiness. Indeed when
I cook, I do it for happiness. And for love. I'm always happy when I cook and
I'm delighted when I see that someone is happy eating my dishes. It's the best way
to show my love for someone.
Cooking is truly an act of love, a gift, a way of giving ourselves to others and make them happy.
- WHY ''OREGANO & VANILLA''?
It was an early Saturday morning when I
started to think about a proper name for a blog. It wasn't easy, but in the end I had the
idea: what are the two ingredients that I like the most? Oregano and Vanilla!
and here I am.
Oregano is a Mediterranean herb with an aromatic, warm and
slightly bitter taste. It makes me think about summer, because it is wonderful on
fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, feta... all dishes that I usually eat when it's
sunny and hot! But you can use it also with meat, eggs and of course pizza! I
love the smell and taste of oregano. It's what you need to transform your sad
salad in a flavorful meal!
Vanilla is....like a "drug" for me! I could add it everywhere. It
has a soft, warm, sweet flavor. It's "avvolgente", enfolding. It makes me think of cuddles.
When I need some ''comfort food'', I think about something with vanilla.
- WHAT WILL YOU FIND HERE?
Here you can find easy recipes made with fresh food and
simple ingredients and minimal canned or processed food (that I store for ''emergency
situations''). Even when my fridge is almost empty, I
try to get the best out of it preparing tasty meals for two.
There will be also a lot of desserts, because I think that
dessert is the best part of a meal. It's my favorite comfort food, what I
search, need and prepare when I have a bad day. And it's what you usually
prepare when sharing thee or coffee with your friends.
Since 2017 I have been eating less animal derived foods. Everything started as a challenge: a 30-days vegan challenge, to test whether there was any significant change in terms of recovery-time from intense training sessions and any performance improvement (at the time, I was training for my second marathon), which I did notice. I actually really enjoyed it and never felt better, that I am still mostly following a plant based diet, where sometimes I include some dairy products. This is also the reason why you will find more vegan/vegetarian recipes on the blog.
- WHAT'S NEW?
No comments:
Post a Comment