Welcome to The Precious Porcellino! You may be wondering…what’s a porcellino? Well porcellino means “piggy” in Italian. I had a love of all piggy things when I was growing up. I collected little pig knickknacks, I begged my parents for a piggy pet (never happened…and now I beg my husband for a piggy pet…still don’t think it will ever happen), I slept with two piggy stuffed animals and I had a nickname…"piggy." There were many variations…baby piggy, little piggy, precious piggy, muddy piggy (that was my aunts’ personal favorite and they still call me that to this day). So when I was thinking up a name for this food blog I knew I had to incorporate my nickname, but in a more stylish way. I took Italian in college and love the language and the food so wa-lah - we have The Precious Porcellino!
I grew up in a southern town in a big southern family where I was surrounded by wonderful cooks and bakers. I probably spent half of my childhood in the kitchen helping my mom prepare small family dinners or watching the hustle and bustle of my grandparents and my aunts and uncles as they put the finishing touches on a huge family feast. There was always something about the food that came out of those kitchens that made it taste so good. I used to think it was the family’s complete disregard for using a “reasonable” amount of cheese or butter in their dishes, but now I realize it was just plain love that made their food taste so good. Being part of a family where dinner time is basically a big delicious way of saying I love you is what really sparked my love of cooking.
This blog is where I can share that love of cooking and being creative in the kitchen with everyone. My goal is to come up with healthy, easy and delicious meals for the everyday gal (or guy!) with a focus on creating better-for-you versions of some classic, but unhealthy, favorites. A huge part of that is finding ways to turn some of my favorite dishes that are typically slathered in cheese, cream or some other magical form of dairy (which my poor dear lactose intolerant husband cannot eat) into satisfying dairy-free versions. And since I'm an event planner by profession and simply love entertaining my own family and friends, this blog will see a lot of posts filled with new ideas you can use at your next event whether it be an elaborate party for 100 plus people or an intimate dinner with close friends. I hope you'll join me as I share my creative adventures in the world of cooking and entertaining. Welcome and enjoy!
