Hello and welcome to She Loves Biscotti !
She Loves Biscotti is about sharing simple and well-balanced family-friendly recipes that use fresh and seasonal ingredients. Browse dozens of incredible recipes perfect for dinner, dessert and entertaining. From traditional Italian recipes from my youth to modern twists. Enjoy what you eat with family and friends and start making some food memories.
A little about me:
My name is Maria Vannelli and I’m the person behind this blog.
I am not a professional baker/cook, writer or photographer. I’m just a gal, living in Montreal, married (same amazing guy for 35 years!) and mother of two awesome kids (no longer kids but still awesome) and grandmother of 2 beautiful children!!!
When I’m not talking about food, I’m either making it, eating it, sharing it, or thinking about it. You see, I’m a professional dietitian, who had the privilege of being born to Italian immigrants…so you know food is important to me!
You might say that my obsession with food is what motivated me to obtain a degree from McGill University. I graduated all the way back in 1987, with a Science Degree and a specialization in Dietetics. But that’s not all!
As a registered dietitian, I wanted to specialize in geriatric nutrition and in 1992, I completed a Certificate in Gerontology from Université de Montréal.
Up until I retired, I was employed as the department head for both the clinical nutrition and food service departments of an acute care hospital. One of my responsibilities was not only to obtain my hygiene and food safety certification (manager training) but also to maintain and ensure the certification of my entire team. As a professional dietitian, continuing education continues to play an important role.
Throughout my career as a registered dietitian, I have worked in different geriatric institutions and acute care hospitals. One of the highlights of my career was receiving the 2012 annual award of recognition for a project entitled «Notes du nutritionniste au dossier médical de l’usager», presented to my clinical team and myself by the Professional Order of Quebec Dietitians (OPDQ).
Following the sudden loss of my mother, I created this blog with the objective of documenting my mom’s recipes. Somewhere along the way, I began to share some of my favorite recipes.
For decades I watched my mother host parties and welcome family and friends into her home, and one thing always stood out to me: food brings people together. No matter who you are, where you’re from, or where you’re going, I learned that the simplest of meals eaten with family and friends is the beginning of a lifetime of memories. And if you’re the one cooking that meal, start with fresh, wholesome ingredients, a simple recipe and you can’t go wrong! My mom was my inspiration and that’s why I cook and bake.
On that note, I am very grateful to my own daughter, Sara P., for her support in editing and proofreading posts in the early days of the blog’s conception in 2014. Her ideas and insights about recipes, picture composition, and directions the blog should take, as well as her ongoing support and encouragement, have greatly contributed to the blog’s success over the past years.
I hope the simplicity of these recipes and the use of quality ingredients will inspire you and bring you and your loved ones closer together at meal times enabling you to create some memorable moments.
In order to get you started, I’ve created a short video of some Reader Favorite Recipes.
Enjoy!
Are you ready to get started?
If you are looking for a specific recipe, simply type it into the search bar, located on the top right-hand side.
To browse recipes for a certain category, use the Recipe Index. Access to this page is located on the top menu bar of every page on a desktop computer. If you are on mobile, look for three horizontal lines on the left side of the screen. This is also referred to as the hamburger icon. Clicking it will open up a menu and you can easily navigate to the recipe index by clicking it.
Staying connected
If you are new to my website, welcome!
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When you subscribe, you will also receive a FREE DOWNLOAD that summarizes my top 10 tips on How to Cook Pasta: https://she-loves-biscotti.ck.page/1b3e59a70c
I actually have a post entitled How to Cook Pasta like an Italian Nonna so feel free to check it out!
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THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria