Welcome to my blog and my kitchen! My name is Elaine Schurr McCardel and I live in Scottsdale, Arizona (recently transplanted from 30 years 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.
If you live in the Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tempe area and are interested in cooking classes, click the "Cooking Classes" tab or shoot me an email and I will add you to the email list to be notified when I give classes.
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. 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.
In Italy, enjoying Sorrento!
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.
You can contact me at:
I also love to sew. Come visit me over at my sewing blog,
Beech Tree Lane Handmade
Or, if you're really into knitting, you can hop on
over to my knitting blog, Italian Dish Knits
Want to see some paintings? I used to paint. A lot.