Meet Deborah Mele, also known here as italianfoodforever. And those photos above are her recipes here at Tasty Kitchen. Yes, every single one, as of this writing.

With entries for drinks, salads, canapes, soups, main courses, desserts, and of course, pasta, you can theoretically print out her entire Tasty Kitchen recipe box and have an Italian cookbook in your hands.

Deborah also has her site, Italian Food Forever, where she shares cooking tips, cookbook reviews, travel journals, and of course, more recipes. She says that although she may not be Italian by birth, she is undeniably Italian by heart. While she does occasionally branch out, almost everything she prepares at home is either Italian or inspired by Italian ingredients, like her Panettone French Toast with Caramelized Apples below.

 
 
 
It was in Italy that Deborah says she “learned to prepare everything from breads to pastas, and anything in between.” Or, as we say here, from soups to nuts. Which, incidentally, she’s managed to combine in one bowl, in her Creamy Porcini Chestnut Soup pictured below.

 
 
 
While Deborah believes in making everything from scratch in her own kitchen, she also understands that this may not always be possible for those who have limited time in their busy days. Mindful of that, she offers ideas for cutting steps whenever possible. But sometimes, shortcuts are unnecessary, and her Quick and Easy Zesty Sausage Pasta below is a 30-minute meal that tastes like it was simmering for hours.

 
 
 
Deborah maintains that the essence of Italian cooking is simplicity, using the freshest seasonal ingredients and basic cooking techniques to bring out the natural flavor of the food. And she shares many such simple, basic and incredibly heart-warming recipes, like the Warm Goat Cheese In Tomato Sauce pictured below. It really doesn’t get any simpler than that.

 
 
 
We’re truly happy to have Deborah here. From demystifying panna cotta to gorgeous dishes like those Herbed Goat Cheese Mini Flans that I can’t stop thinking about, Deborah has so much to offer us, and she does so in such a generous way.

 
 
So let’s jump right into the part where we ask her questions, and get to know the lovely Deborah Mele a little better!

 
 
Q: What do you enjoy most about cooking?
A: I love cooking with ingredients that inspire me and that are usually fresh and locally grown. When we are spending our yearly 6 months in Umbria overseeing our farmhouse rental, I visit the outdoor markets almost every day and look for my inspiration for what I will cook that day from the seasonal local ingredients I find there.

 
Q: Any favorite chefs or food celebrities? Who inspires you?
A: The person who inspired my love of cooking the most would have to be my Italian mother-in-law, who never measures anything and who taught me that being a great cook was as much from the heart as it was from the head. Of course, if one loves Italian cuisine, it is impossible not to be inspired by such celebrities as Marcella Hazan, Mario Batali, or Lidia Bastianich.

 
Q: What is your go-to dish or meal?
A: Pasta, of course! I LOVE pasta because I can create an amazing sauce in the time it takes to cook the pasta and have a meal on the table in less than 30 minutes.

 
Q: What if you had to eat something right now and had only 3 minutes to get it ready? What would it be?
A: It’d be a peanut butter and banana sandwich (a childhood favorite I never outgrew).

 
Q: Give us one of your favorite kitchen tips that you wish you’d always known.
A: That when making bread, weighing your ingredients is much more accurate than measuring them.

 
Q: What gives you the most trouble in the kitchen?
A: I am embarrassed to admit that I do not like—and am even nervous about—deep frying. I always worry I will end up with my entire kitchen on fire!

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Thank you for answering our questions, Deborah! And since cooking truly is a matter of the heart, thank you for sharing yours with everyone.

For more of Deborah, her cooking, travels, and her great love for the Italian kitchen, head to her site, Italian Food Forever. Her passion for food is such a joy to experience.

 
Meet Amy Johnson, known here as missamy. You might recognize her pretty face as the one behind She Wears Many Hats, a blog she started less than a year ago. Which probably means you could add The Flash’s headpiece to her list of hats.

Prior to becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom, Amy was a graphic designer who became an Art Director, working in the advertising industry for eight years. And prior to that, she was busy dreaming of becoming a cruise director like Julie McCoy from The Love Boat, sailing around the world meeting people and planning events.

I think the travel industry lost out on that one.

Amy and her husband live in upstate South Carolina with their two children, ages 11 and 14. She says that their home is always filled with music and goofiness. And, from the looks of her Tasty Kitchen recipe box, their home is also filled with good food.

Amy professes a love for singing, accompanied by terrible, hive-inducing stage fright. She lists photography and gardening as her current favorite hobbies, confessing that she is an overambitious gardener who is always planting more than they can manage.

Cooking, for her, is mostly therapeutic, and listening to her favorite music while cooking is some of her favorite “me” time. And as beautiful and perfect as her dishes look, she declares that she’s always making stupid mistakes in the kitchen. “Always,” she reiterates. But she doesn’t let those mistakes dissuade her, and instead sees them as opportunities to learn and become a better cook in the long run.

Although, honestly, it sure looks like she’s already well into “better cook” territory.

White Bean Chicken Chili on the left, and Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps on the right.

 
 
 
Amy’s recipes here are as diverse as, well, the hats that she wears. Aside from many delicious, creative dips, she also has wonderful breakfast ideas, like the Basic Baked Eggs you see in the top photo. You should also consider checking out her recipe box if you’ve got some brie and don’t know what to do with it. She’ll fix you right up.

Simple Baked Brie (left), Mini Brie Bites (center), and Turkey Brie and Apple Grilled Sandwich (right)

 
 
 
And although she says that baking gives her the most trouble in the kitchen (more on that later), you’d never know it looking at some of her dessert recipes.

They’ll Make You Sing Muffins on the left, and Chocolate Muffins with Pumpkin Frosting on the right.

 
 
So, without further delay, let’s ask Amy some questions and get to know her even better!

 
 
Q: Do you have any favorite chefs or food celebrities? Who inspires you?
A: There are so many great chefs to admire and follow nowadays, but I recall as a child watching at eye level my Nana and her mother, my Nanny, cook, creating things from scratch. I remember thinking how gifted they were and how special it made me feel that they would spending time working with their hands for our family. And it was always, always good.

 
Q: What is your go-to dish or meal?
A: Pasta. It’s easy and I always have ingredients on hand for some kind of sauce combo.

 
Q: What if you had to eat something right now, and had only 3 minutes to get it ready? What would it be?
A: I’m make an egg sandwich. Or, if it’s summertime, a fresh tomato sandwich.

 
Q: What gives you the most trouble in the kitchen?
A: Baking. When I cook, I don’t really measure, so baking throws me a bit. I need to understand the science behind it all. Recently, I purchased Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home To Yours” in hopes that it will inspire me in my baking endeavors.

 
Q: Give us one of your favorite kitchen tips that you wish you’d always known.
A: I wish I’d always know to relax, because cooking is not brain surgery. Unless I’m cooking with truffles (which I’ve yet to so far) or other ingredients that cost more than the pot they’re cooked in, I try to remember to chill, turn on some favorite music, and have fun.

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Thank you, Amy! For taking the time out to answer our questions, we promise never to ask you to sing on stage. We might, though, as you about this picture that’s been going around these parts.

For more of Amy and her multitude of hats—all of which she dons quite skillfully—head to her blog, She Wears Many Hats.

 
Today, it’s a special two-fer at the Tasty Kitchen Blog: not only will we get to meet Maria of TwoPeasAndTheirPod, but we’ll also be meeting her husband Josh, the other half of “The Cooking Couple.” Aren’t they a cute pair?

Maria Lichty is an Illinois native who moved to Utah for college. There, she met Josh, and what started as a solid friendship eventually led to their beautiful June wedding in 2008. You can tell from reading their blog Two Peas and Their Pod that they share a passion for food, and they are obviously a great team in the kitchen. They love to cook and bake together, and Josh’s skill with bread doughs, pizza crusts, pasta, etc. means Maria gets to call him her “dough boy.” (He does the dishes too, folks. What a guy!)

Maria is currently a health educator for Healthy Utah, the worksite wellness program for the state, and she and Josh enjoy many outdoor activities together. So it comes as no surprise that they try to keep things healthy. But Maria is quick to point out that they do leave room for sweet treats, as evidenced by the 70+ cookie recipes on their blog. She followed that up with an “oops!” but I think many will agree that “yay!” might be more appropriate. Especially since the Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies in the photo above are only a hint of how good her cookie creations are.

Maria and Josh entered the world of food blogging almost by accident. Josh had his own blog when they first started dating, writing mostly about his outdoor adventures, family photos, and political views. But since they spent so much time in the kitchen together, Maria began sharing some of their recipes and photos online. Encouraged by friends and family, she continued posting more recipes and photos, until they eventually found themselves with a full-time food blog. Which is a wonderful thing for all of us, because not only do they share great recipes with everyone, but they also offer glimpses of their beautiful family, and the undeniably deep and unselfish love that they all have for one other. (For example, did you know that her father personally prepared, by hand, 400 tiny tarts for their wedding?)

So, before we ask Maria some questions, let’s take a quick look at some of the recipes that both she and Josh have shared with us here at Tasty Kitchen. They really have a knack for making healthy look sinfully good.

From left to right: Black Bean, Avocado, and Mango Salad with Cilantro and Lime; Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce; and Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Agave Nectar and Fresh Rosemary.

 
 
Q: What do you enjoy most about cooking?
A: My creative juices come alive in the kitchen. I also love sharing food and recipes with others. Food brings people together in the most enjoyable way.

 
Q: Any favorite chefs or food celebrities? Who inspires you?
A: My dad inspires me in and out of the kitchen. He taught me how to cook and bake when I was a little girl. There was always something tasty cooking or baking in our kitchen. My friends used to come over to see what Parry was whipping up next. My dad is famous for his cinnamon rolls. They are the best!

 
Q: If you had to eat something right now, and had only 3 minutes to get it ready, what would it be?
A: Cereal. I try to avoid packaged/processed foods, but we both love cereal. We might even be addicted. I eat oatmeal for breakfast everyday, but I do enjoy cereal for a snack or dessert. We stock up when it is on sale—we may or may not have over 75 boxes right now.

 
Q: What ingredient/kitchen technique/method gives you the most trouble?
A: Macarons! Josh can’t eat them because he is allergic to nuts, but he was obsessed with mastering them. He even made his own powdered sugar to try and get them right. We finally got them down and I made some for our wedding. Yes, I did all of the baking for our wedding, but that is another story. It was so much fun.

 
Q: What is your favorite kitchen tool?
A: I love my KitchenAid Mixer. She is my best friend in the kitchen, besides Josh.

 
Q: What food item do you always make at home and never buy at the store anymore?
A: Yogurt. I started making my own yogurt about 6 months ago. I love it! It is easy, healthy, and a lot cheaper than buying it from the store.

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Thanks for answering our questions, Maria! You are as nice as they come, completely genuine, and beautiful inside and out.

If you want to know more about Maria and her beloved dough boy Josh, check out their blog, Two Peas and Their Pod. And if you browse the wedding section, be sure to take a peek at their awesome wedding cake. If not for the fact that it had chocolate inside it, I don’t know if I would have been able to cut that gorgeous cake.