Before children, my cooking was one thing - I cooked what I wanted. Eye fillet, homemade lasagna on a ‘school’ night, hot Thai curries. There was no limit really.

Now with two kids, everything has changed. I don’t have the budget for expensive cuts of meat, and I don’t have time to cook fancy dishes. I try to buy and cook smart. I have a great pantry of staples and I buy the rest fresh, as I need. My weeknight meals consist of a range of dishes - vege only, beef, chicken, fish, and pasta - and no cuisine is off limits, although I tend to stick to Australian and Italian, given my background.

I have an Italian father and an Australian mother, and growing up Italian food definitely dominated my house-hold. Pasta 2-3 times a week, rice, stews, a simple roast, pan-fried fish, grilled steak or schnitzel with roast potatoes and salad was standard. But it was always delicious.

I’ve now come full circle, now cooking the dishes I grew up eating for my family. While I used to blog under foodonpaper.com, and then acquadesignstudio.com/blog, I decided to start again, and share my recipes for those who need simple and delicious family food.

To get in touch with me, please visit acquadesignstudio.com.au, or send me a message via Instagram.