True Life: I'm A Food Blogger!

Welcome to my blog! This blog was started about 1 week ago and while I don't have many posts just yet, I have a plan, an idea, a direction and I encourage you all to hang in there with me. I am going to try to post every day, though as you can imagine, it's difficult to cook every day and document every meal when you work over 50 hours a week. 

Anyway, look around! I have a sweet navigation bar- including tabs for a recipe directory, go-to meals (usually in a box or bag), and restaurant reviews. I will also be continuously adding tips & tricks to use in the kitchen.

Some tidbits about me:

• I frequently pin food to my Food & Drinks board on Pinterest. I find so many great recipes through Pinterest and other blogs and this particular board of mine vastly outnumbers any other board of mine.

• I'm Cuban and Italian, with a little bit Spanish (from Spain) thrown in. Needless to say, I come from a family, on both sides, of great cooks and good meals.

• I dream of moving gracefully around my kitchen (a joke in and of itself- I don't think I'm graceful with anything I do), making primarily Italian food, and pronouncing Italian words like Giada DeLaurentiis does. I tried once; I sounded ridiculous.

• I take pictures of my food when I'm eating out and I feel like I'm a crazy for doing so. But, I have to! How else would I share anything with you all. If you take pictures of your food when you're out, do you use a cell phone to hide the fact that you're taking a picture? Do you use your best DSLR with a super lens and just not worry about other people? 

• My favorite food is pasta. I also love a nice, full salad. 

• I subscribe to 5 food magazines (Food Network, Cuisine At Home, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Bon Appetite, Food & Wine).

• I also subscribe to 3 different email lists for daily recipes.

So, I'm glad you stopped by! Like I say in my About Me section, cooking is a passion of mine. An intense hobby. Something I enjoy doing all the time. Sometimes, instead of relaxing and reading a book, or partaking in some reality TV watching, I decide to spend a couple of hours in the kitchen, making new dishes.

Coming up on the blog? Featured desserts!

Cannoli Cake...Omgeee. 

Nutella Peanut Butter Pie...wow. Just, wow.

Target Tuesday: Must-Have Kitchen Items

Being that this is a food blog and also being that Target is the greatest store in the history of stores, I decided I just had to link up with Tara for Target Tuesdays so I can share what I find to be essential kitchen items for anyone who would like to cook a good meal.

1. Pots & Pans

Giada DeLaurentiis 10-pc. Professional Series Tri-Ply Clad Cookware

My mom bought these pots & pans for me as part of my birthday present and my cooking experiences haven't been the same since. I had never cooked with stainless steel before so there is a slight adjustment period (everything cooks faster!), but now I don't even use my old pots and pans, ever.

2. Slow Cooker/Crock-Pot

Crock-Pot Oval Electric Slow Cooker

The Crock-Pot brand knew what it was doing when it made slow cookers. I mean, honestly, sometimes nothing is better than just being able to throw a bunch of ingredients into a pot and do nothing else until you're ready to serve and eat. 

3. Knives

Rachael Ray Orange 10-pc Birchwood Block Set

Admittedly, I only have 2 good knives, but those 2 knives basically save my life on a daily basis. Make your food chopping precise and efficient. I breeze through the cutting of vegetables, fruits, etc etc etc with the knives I have. 

4. Stand Mixer

KitchenAid Artisan 5-qt Stand Mixer

While stand mixers, in general, are out of my price range, I have had my eye on this yellow one for years. With a $300+ price tag, it's too steep, even for me (impulse shopper and lover of credit cards here!), but it really is essential for baking. The reason I don't generate a millionty Christmas cookies every year? No stand mixer. The reason I bake stupid pound cake instead? No stand mixer. The reason my right arm gets a muscle cramp during baking? I have to use the stupid hand mixer in 3 different bowls to get my baking done. Read: no stand mixer. I'm not kidding when I say that when I come into an extra $300, this is first on my list of items to buy.

Other items on the list: nice dishes, 2 sets of measuring spoons and cups (one for wet ingredients and one for dry), a wine bottle opener, and a food processor. 

Now tell me- what are your essential kitchen items?