Hi, and welcome to Mariooch’s Kitchen! When I was a little girl, my Italian father called me Mariooch, a variation of Mariuccia (pronounced mar-ee-ooch-ee-a), which means “little Mary” in Italian. When I thought about my blog name I looked no further than this nickname. I inherited the Italian cooking gene from my grandmother, Maria Libra.  I have so many fond memories of cooking with my grandmother, Aunt Rose, and my parents in our family kitchen. For more than 20 years, I have honed this skill and become a “homegrown chef”.

The essence of my blog is to share healthy, easy to follow delicious family style meals that can be adapted to meet your families’ needs and tastes. When you are a busy family, we are all pressed for time, but still want to provide healthy meals to our families. I’m here to help! I’ll focus on family meals, soups (there are many on this blog!), colorful salads, dips and mouth watering desserts that are healthy. I recently added “Sips” to my Snacks & Shakes, that includes some nice drink combos. Especially good for entertaining. 

My family and I live on the East Coast in the suburbs. We live close to many farms. We are actually sandwiched between 2 horse farms. I cook using fresh ingredients and tend to shop a few times a week. I typically buy organic produce, but some conventional produce I buy as well. I have 3 kids and try to guard, honor and cherish the family dinner hour. I am a fitness enthusiast, love being outside (with my 2 dogs Teddy & Charlie) and love nature. Most of my meals are relatively healthy, except for the occasional butter and cream.

I LOVE to entertain. Hosting a party is right up there with one of my favorite things. Feeding guests is in my blood, after all I’m Italian (half, the other half is Swiss and Irish, thanks to mom). When I have people over, there is always an abundance of delicious food to enjoy. But another important aspect of any good party, is in the details. Make your food visually appealing, use your best dinnerware, and platters. And always have flowers or greens, even if you just get them from your garden – like me!

Over the years I have been sharing my talents by volunteering to cook for underprivileged children at a local pre-school making them nourishing meals. Formerly, I am a volunteer chef at a homeless shelter teaching residents how to cook low-budget meals and utilize food in the pantry.  I think it’s important to identify ways to help alleviate poverty.  Volunteer at soup kitchens, stock food pantries, or help plant a garden in the inner city. Teach children how to cultivate and grow their own foods. Empower everyone to eat healthy! Currently, I develop recipes for the seniors at our local food pantry, so far they love them.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” I have many friends who are overwhelmed by the thought of cooking. The process starts with one step, even if it’s a baby step, you can do it. I was overwhelmed when I first got married over 24 years ago and was responsible for the meals. My mom had died a year prior, and none of her recipes were recorded, so I pulled out my mom’s old and I mean old, falling apart, cookbook by Betty Crocker to learn how to properly cook meats. Then I just jumped right into it (Zac Brown Band reference!) and made everything from scratch. I am looking forward to taking you on the journey of cooking with me in my kitchen!

Be sure to subscribe to my blog by adding your email. Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope I inspire you to cook for your friends and family. Follow me on Instagram @marioochcooks where I post daily stories. 

•