Food

Aug 29, 2025
9 min read

Updated: Jan 3

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Where Are All of the Producers At??

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I'm all about food and love diving into new cuisines with my husband and our adventurous 8-year-old daughter. While my three older kids tend to stick to what they know, our youngest is always up for trying new tastes. We've got this idea for a show that would be perfect for the Travel Channel or Food Network. As big-time travelers, we love finding new places and sampling a variety of foods. Our daughter's excitement for meeting people and trying new dishes keeps our adventures lively.

One time in Venice, she made friends with a local girl through play, showing how joy doesn't need words. Her taste for adventure grew during our European trips, where she tried everything from pastries to squid ink pasta. She’s a big fan of seafood and even asks for steak at her age. Escargot is a hit with her, and she's all about trying unique foods like pig tails and calamari, which really shows her bold spirit.

Beyond food, she's a natural performer, into singing, dancing, and gymnastics. Her energetic personality and love for performing make her perfect for our show idea. We plan to travel to family-friendly spots, with our daughter as the star, giving her honest take on the cuisines we find. We'll vlog and blog our adventures, sharing fun family moments and connecting with a wide audience. Would you be interested in watching a show like this?

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Likes and Dislikes

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I'm usually up for trying most foods, but lima beans have never been my thing since I was a kid. My mom, who's all about her Italian roots, got me hooked on Italian food from a young age. We always have homemade pasta and sauces around, and Italian dishes are still my go-to. That said, I love checking out different cuisines from around the world, like Thai curry, Indian, and Japanese food. I'm always excited to try new recipes, so if you have any favorites, let me know! We'll give them a shot in our kitchen and share how it goes, enjoying the adventure of discovering new flavors.

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Recipes My Family Enjoy

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Mississippi Pot Roast

Ingredients

1 (3-4 pounds) chuck roast
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet au jus gravy mix
1/4 cup butter
4-5 pepperoncini peppers

Instructions

Place roast in the slow cooker and sprinkle the top with the ranch dressing mix and the au jus mix. Place peppers on top of the mixes, and add the butter.
Cook over low heat for 8 hours. Serve with noodles, rice or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Side notes: You can also use egg noodles. The sauce makes the most amazing gravy.
Personally, I think it's juicier in the oven. Put all the ingredients together in a baking dish with the meat. Cover with aluminnim foil and bake on 350 degrees for around 4 hours. Won't even need a knife.

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Mozzarella Pesto Stuffed Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 2 lb. ground turkey/beef

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp. basil dried

• 1 tsp. oregano dried

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning

• 8 oz. mozzarella cut into 1-inch strips

• 1/4 cup pesto

• 1 c. spaghetti sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl combine turkey, egg, basil, oregano, salt, and garlic powder.
Combine mixture with a spoon, and then by hand, until it is well incorporated.
Spread mixture on a large piece of parchment paper about 1inch thick.
Place strips of mozzarella along the edge of the meat mixture, leaving 1 inch on all sides uncovered by the mozzarella.
Spread pesto over mozzarella evenly.
Use parchment to roll the meat into a loaf. Transfer into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Very carefully, flip your meatloaf onto the baking dish, using the wax/parchment paper to help you release it from the pan.
Reshape the sides of the meatloaf and make sure all mozzarella is covered by the meat mixture.
Bake, uncovered, for 50-55 minutes in your preheated oven. During the last 10-15 minutes, pour spaghetti sauce on top of the meatloaf and continue baking, uncovered.

🍔 Big Mac lettuce Wrap! 😋

5 oz raw lean ground turkey/beef
2 tbsp cheese
2 Tbsp thousand dressing
1/8 tsp white Vinegar
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup of iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup tomato’s
1 oz dill pickle slices
1 tsp sesame seeds
Cooking spray

Directions:

Heat a small, lightly greased skillet. Add the onions and cook until bowned. Add to the bowl with the meat and form a patty. Cook 2-3 minutes a side or until done to your liking. Add cheese and melt on top (2 smaller patties or 1 large)
Meanwhile. Mix together the dressing, vinegar, and onion powder.
To assemble : Take lettuce leaf and put burger inside. Top with pickle slices, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Italian Skillet Casserole!!😍😍🧨

3 oz chicken
1.25 cups diced zucchini
3 tbsp pasta sauce
2 tbsp diced black olives
12 slices pepperoni
¼ tsp Garlic powder
¼ tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp Salt to taste
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
1 tsp olive oil

Directions

Sautée chicken and zucchini until cooked, add other ingredients and top with cheese until melted in the skillet.

Braised Balsamic Chicken! 🍗

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – total weight 3 1/3 pounds
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup green onion, thinly sliced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Season both sides of chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook seasoned chicken breasts until chicken is browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add onion; cook and stir until onion is browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
Pour diced tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken; season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme.
Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Taco Bake {Family Size}

Crust:

8 Tbsp or 1/2 cup cream cheese (4 ounces)

1/4 cup egg beaters

6 Tbsp half and half

1/2 tsp taco seasoning

Filling:

8 oz Mexican cheese blend, shredded

24 oz ground turkey or beef

4 tsp taco seasoning

1 cup (5.26 oz) tomato puree - tomatoes chopped then puree to equal 1 cup

4 ounces diced green chiles

4 cups (14 oz) riced fresh cauliflower (25.36 oz *if using frozen, heat first)

8 ounces 2% Mexican cheese blend to top dish with

Topping:

6 cups (15.24 oz) shredded lettuce

3 1/2 cups (18.41 oz) diced tomatoes

Olives optional

Directions:

For the crust, beat the cream cheese and eggs until smooth. Add the cream and seasonings. Grease 9"x13" baking dish; spread the cheese over the bottom. pour in the egg mixture as evenly as possible. Bake at 375 deg F for 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before adding the topping.

For the filling, brown the turkey or beef and drain the fat. Stir in seasoning, tomato puree, riced cauliflower, and chiles. Spread over crust. Top with cheese. Reduce oven to 350 deg F and bake for another 20 minutes or so until hot and bubbly.

Top with lettuce and tomatoes - 1 cup shredded lettuce and 1/2 cup diced tomato per serving.

Skillet Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients

4 thin boneless, skinless cutlets, 6.4 oz each (raw)~should yield 3.3 oz each cooked~
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 Tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
2/3 chicken broth
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 thin slices deli ham (4 oz total)
4 slices Swiss Cheese (4 oz total)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Place the flour in a shallow dish. Lightly dredge the chicken with flour on both sides, shaking off the excess reserving the flour.
In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and 1 teaspoon of the reserved flour, whisk until smooth.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and half of the chicken. Cook 2 minutes on each side, until slightly golden, then transfer to a dish. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and remaining chicken and cook 2 minutes on each side. Set aside on a dish with the other pieces of chicken.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the chicken broth mixture. Whisk scraping up any bits stuck to the pan then simmer 2 minutes to reduce slightly. Return the chicken to the skillet, top each piece with a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss, cover the skillet and simmer medium-low for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese melts.
To serve use a spatula and transfer the chicken to each dish, spoon the remaining sauce over each piece.

Pizza Bake (my youngest son’s favorite way)🍕

1 Can of pillsbury butter biscuits
1 Jar of pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese (I honestly don’t measure I just eye it)
Favorite toppings. We love the mini pepperonis, crumbles sausage, and black olives in ours.
Cooking spray

Directions

Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray
Flatten the biscuits out and then break 8 little pieces off, roll each piece into a ball and throw it in the baking dish.
Put in the jar of sauce, toppings and cheese and mix it all together until everything is evenly spread on the bottom.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

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Lists

Restaurants/Cafes

Edelweiss Restaurant in Staunton, Virginia
This is the Venice Bakery from the pictures down below
Delicious, completely gluten free bakery, in Chesapeake, VA called Sun Flour Bakery
Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, is where the beignet picture below is from
Stavros and Sons in Eustis, Florida. I used to dream about their salad when I was pregnant with my oldest son.
Amazing Italian Restaurant in Germany where I had the tortellini and goat cheese pictured below.

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Books

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Songs

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Movies/Shows/Documentaries

Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives
Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
Man Vs Food - this is my episode because Tony Lukes is the best cheesesteak ever. I love the roast pork italian! I also went to the old fashioned ice cream shop, super cute.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

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Quotes

“Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” – Harriet Van Horne
“Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.” – Alan D. Wolfelt
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf
“People who love to eat are always the best people.” – Julia Child
“Food brings people together on many different levels. It’s nourishment of the soul and body; it’s truly love.” – Giada De Laurentiis
“Eating is a necessity, but cooking is an art.” – Unknown
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” – James Beard
“The secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” – Mark Twain

More great food quotes here.

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Bible verses about Food

Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.
Exodus 16:12 I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’
Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
Genesis 9:3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. (But people live and move)
John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’