Hello my dear friends!

It’s not very typical of me writing post not directly concerning food, but this year so many good things happened to me that I feel the duty to share it, not much for bragging (or maybe a little bit, LOL), but mostly to thank you all for your support, encouragement and appreciation.

1. I started my ITALIAN HOME BAKERY  and set a booth at my local FARMERS MARKET,  and even if it has been only for a few months, I’ve already started collecting quite a few personal gratifications. like being on a TV interview and starting a monthly column in the QUAD CITIES MOM’S BLOG.

2.  My second achievement will probably make laugh many of you (because you already have reached a decent popularity and tons of followers): my ITALIANGOODNESS FB page reached 1K followers  on DECEMBER FIRST which happens to be my BIRTH DAY. Such coincidence sounds to me more than a randomness, I would say a “sign” that I am working in the right direction.

3. LAST but absolutely not LEAST, after years of blogging I was finally nominated on Smorgasbord – by Sally Cronin – for the  Bloggers Recognition AWARD! And here I would love to thank Sally Cronin on WordPress for nominating me, but also for believing in myself and deciding to add me to her list of monthly guests writers.

So, here I am, finally having the chance to list my favorite bloggers, which will be welcome to accept this recognition, simply by following these guidelines, or either just accept this nomination and decide not to participate (no pressure and no hard feelings).

I moved to Iowa from Italy about eight years ago. I left a spot as associate in an Italian Law firm to follow my husband’s job necessities, and only after such a shocking change, my background came up (my family’s deep cooking tradition), and I realized that taking care of my family is the most satisfying job I could do, especially because it entails cooking healthy and good food, and the feeling of fulfillment is even stronger when I have the chance to share my Italian cooking culture with others. And so, I started my blog about our family’s daily menu, rich of recipes made with simple and few ingredients, most of the time cheap and healthy (because the food is not processed).

MY ADVICES TO NEW BLOGGER

– Write for passion and not (only) for money;

– Don’t underestimate the bloggers’ community around you: there are a lot of amazing people out there, ready to help, support and encourage you.

– Be persistent.

– Never stop learning.

MY BLOGGERS SELECTION:

I’ve chosen these awesome bloggers for many reason, not only because for they fabulous contents, but  because either they have became friends, comment on my blog, gave me precious advices, host me in their own blog.

STEFAN GOURMET:   Stefan loves food and wine maybe more than anyone I know. His culinary knowledge is incredible (as much as  the number of languages he fluently speaks perfectly).

THE CHEF MIMI BLOG: Mimi is an amazing cook, she shares delicious recipes, easy to follow and never disappointing.

RUST BELT GIRL: Rebecca is a very talented writer, a wonderful blogger friend.

 JOHN RIEBER :John writes about food, travel, tv-shows, pop culture, books and more. His pieces are always a pleasure to read.

ESME SALON: Esme shares tons of recipes, but she also taught me the importance of being part of the Bloggers Community, and I will always be grateful to her for that.

VENETO FOR KIDS: I believe I can nominate in this Award also Italian bloggers, and this blog truly is the best for families that live (or travel) in the Northern East Italy.

BEWITHCHING KITCHEN: Sally is already listed in the top 100 food blogger in the world, so no need to say she is a huge inspiration to me.

SMORGASBORD BLOG MAGAZINE: Sally knows how to entertain readers as nobody else. Also she scouts the best guest bloggers :-).

That’s it! I apologize if I forgot someone, there are so many virtuous bloggers out there!

I wish you all an astonishing 2020, and Thank You so much for being part of my life!

MUCH LOVE

SILVIA