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The MM Blog
Let's live deliciously! Here you'll find the very best recipes, travel guides, podcasts, videos, and wellness tips to create a healthy, beautiful joyful life.
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Here’s my must-have list of kitchen essentials. Gizmos + gadgets, appliances, pots and pans, cookware, knives, and tabletop faves. For decades I’ve collected all your questions! The ones I get on social media, in DMs, emails and texts, from the blog, when I meet you or in our Secret Facebook Group. So I’ve decided to […]
Most people think of Monday as the first day of the week. But if we look at the story of creation … day 1, aka ground zero for Him was Sunday. Just like a tree needs strong roots to rise up and grow, I need a rock solid game plan to ensure the week ahead […]
I’ve spent a lot of time in the air and living out of suitcases. Nothing brings me more joy than visiting a foreign country and exploring new and exciting places and trying delicious food. But no matter where I go in the world…There are a few items you will always find in my luggage. Here’s […]
Over the years I have hosted small dinners and events that feed hundreds. I’ve cooked for Oscar winners, billionaires, Hollywood studios, friends and family. But no matter the size of the guest list, a successful party comes down to planning. I’m sharing the exact strategy I use every time I host. And I’m confident that […]
“You may have the Universe if I can have Italy” – Giuseppe Verdi Italy is the most gorgeous country in the world to travel to. I guess that is why I decided I wanted to retire there. And over the past decade, I have crisscrossed this country eating my weight in pizza. And I still […]
I have often seen parents who have a poor relationship with food and body image, pass this onto their kids. This is not the relationship with food we want to create for our children.
Summertime is all about stone fruits like these gorgeous, ripe and juicy yellow cling peaches. As the temperatures soar I prefer to serve room temperature dishes and food that doesn’t require me to slave over a hot stove. So this salad will be front and center on my table all summer long. I like to […]
Citrus Salads are my go-to winter salad. Fresh, bright, and bursting with flavor. This one is a kind of a slaw meets salad. I took inspiration for this beauty from an Italian classic and added the licorice tastes of crunchy fennel which I tossed with some sweet red onions. I used the incredible Microplane-V-slicer to […]
If you’re going to eat a salad today, it should definitely be this Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad. It’s the perfect quick-fix salad bursting with all those gorgeous summertime heirloom tomatoes and it comes together in minutes. Grab fresh multicolored heirloom cherry tomatoes, sweet yellow corn, red onions, and all the avocado. Make a quick […]
Nothing screams summer like an Aperol Spritz. It’s the perfect warm-weather cocktail and you’ll find everyone all over Bella Italia sipping on it. It light, ultra-refreshing, and full of bubbles and the slice of orange adds a fruity twist. It tastes like summer and looks like a gorgeous sunset over the Italian Rivera. And it’s […]
Warm weather screams stone fruits!!!! So fruity Caprese salads are playing on repeat all summer long in my Italian kitchen. This gorgeous beauty is loaded with the sweetest ripest and juicy peaches, apricots, nectarines, black plums, and cherries surrounded by the creamiest, dreamiest baby mozzarella balls. I’ve scattered it with fresh basil […]
This is a spin on a French classic… but instead of using tuna, I grilled some salmon steaks and arranged it as a help yourself platter. It’s perfect to serve as an appetizer or as a poolside salad during the summertime. I’ve substituted snap peas for the green beans and added some other veggies. And […]
It’s summertime in California and when it’s hot outside I cannot think of turning on the oven. We eat light and I like nothing more than a huge big salad. This fruity version loaded with blueberries, cherries, strawberries, goat cheese, cucumbers, and candied pecans is on the menu for dinner tonight. It’s so delicious you […]
I'm Melissa, your host & tour guide.
A Food Network chef, author, mamma, eternal optimist, wannabe-mermaid, spice mixologist, and “dough therapist” (yep, it’s a thing)—
I'm also the founder of Susina Cucina, the gorgeous, Italian cooking school I manifested into my reality. I’m obsessed with Aperol spritzes, travel, and mouthwatering food… especially pizza and pasta.
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The Magic of Italy
without the planning
Explore
Food Netwok Chef, Melissa is dishing up delicious food and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for your soul.
find out more →
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Wanna know the tried and tested go-tos a globetrotter and chef can’t live without? Here’s my must-have gizmos, gadgets, and essentials—all my favorite things I swear by. Plus, what I’m reading, wearing, and packing for my next trip.
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