I’m Lauren, creator of For the Love of Lasagna – thanks for stopping by! Midwest born and raised, I’m currently residing in the Windy City after a brief three year stint in Dallas. During the day (and sometimes night) I work in commercial real estate finance, but I am happiest when I am surrounded by food and friends; whether it be hosting a dinner party, or trying a new restaurant in the city. Th
e incredible food scene in Chicago provides endless inspiration. In fact, it probably wasn’t until I moved here that I started to get more adventurous and creative with my own recipes. As a self-taught culinary amateur (suppose now I can add amateur web designer and photographer to that list as well), everything I know about cooking comes from my mother, grandmothers, watching shows and reading magazines and books, but most importantly, trial and error. Proof that becoming a great cook can be accessible for anyone; all it takes is a little practice, a little patience, and a lot of wine. I supposed you could say this blog was inevitable. Even as a kid I would film pretend cooking shows with a wine glass full of grape juice. These days, I’ve traded in the grape juice for the real stuff and broadened my repertoire beyond a three-ingredient ‘trail mix’.
| The Food |
I am a strong advocate of living a healthy lifestyle; I practice yoga and Pilates regularly (tidbit: I teach Pilates on the side) and eat clean Monday thru Friday. BUT, the weekends are my time to let my inner foodie get wild – life is all about balance! With a busy work week schedule, I typically find myself experimenting in the kitchen on the weekends, so most of the recipes you’ll see here are ‘foodie weekend friendly’ and generally geared towards entertaining. I always use organic and fresh ingredients when available, and always the best quality ingredients. Your dishes only come out as good as the ingredients you put in. Personally, I don’t have any dietary restrictions and/or needs, and I haven’t met many foods I don’t like – so I guess you could say ‘anything goes’. The name might suggest this is strictly an Italian food blog, but that’s really just a nod to the crazy Italian side of my family. My moms grandparents migrated to the US from southern Italy and Sicily in the early 1920’s. On the other end of the spectrum, my dads family is rooted in the deep south. Both serve as a major influences in my cooking. You can expect to see plenty of Italian and southern classics, with a modern twist, of course. So cheers to pasta, praline, and everything in between!
