My Mom, Angela, and my brother, George, in Naples

Welcome to my blog and my kitchen. My name is Elaine and I live in Michigan.

My mother, Angela, was from Italy and I guess I just have that Italian gene in me - I love to feed people. I began this blog to teach people how to cook. It pains me that so many people do not cook for themselves and instead order carryout five nights a week. Cooking from scratch is much easier than most people think.  It's healthier and cheaper. Subscribe to this site and cook along with me - I'll show you how.  

I love photography and, in a previous life, was a painter. My food photography enables me to really show you how to create things, step by step.  I love the beauty of food and the creativity of the kitchen. Developing my own recipes is just another way to fill a canvas. I hope you enjoy what I love so much - cooking for people and the joy of the table.

Since starting this blog, I have met some amazing people, connected with other food bloggers and received e-mails, literally, from readers all over the world.  Thanks to all of you.

To see my more of my food photography, go to my Flickr Food Shots. 

  I live with Brian, my husband and we have three sons, Barry, Nick and Nathan. 

Want to see some paintings?

I'm also a lover of knitting. You can find me on Ravelry as "italiandishknits":

Or, if you're really into knitting, you can hop on over to my knitting blog, "Italian Dish Knits".

You can contact me at elainemccardel@mac.com