Welcome

Welcome! I have had a love of food and cooking for as long as I can remember. I used to cook with my mom when I was young (in fact, I still do) and have slowly developed my own style of cooking over the years. One of my inspirations for the dishes that I create is travel. I have had the privilege of seeing many different parts of the world, and one of my favorite things to do when I visit a new place is eat! I love to experience food as a part of culture. Inevitably, I find dishes that I love that I just have to try to replicate when I return home! While I haven’t traveled in quite a while, I still love to bring various cultures to our family table whenever I can.

My other inspiration, as well as the heart and drive behind my cooking, is my family and family traditions. I strive to cook healthy food from scratch for my family as much as I can. Nutrition matters and I hope to provide my family with good and healthy food. I also believe that healthy eating, for kids, often comes when they are involved in the kitchen. I try to have my kids help me in the kitchen as much as possible. In addition, because my family drives my cooking, it also drives the amount of time I have to put into my cooking every day. I try to make my recipes as simple as possible when I can, often with make ahead elements to get a jump start on dinner early in the day. (Or have breakfast made in the fridge to reheat during the week). While I love the occasional special recipe that is more labor intensive, that is not our every day.

Finally, our kitchen table is more than just where we eat. Our kitchen table is the heart of our home, and I want it to be a place of love, faith, family and friends. I hope everyone feels welcomed, loved, and listened to in our kitchen. I hope this blog is a similar space where we can enjoy good food and friendship.

In many of my recipes you will notice a couple of notes at the bottom:
*My helping hands section highlights ways kids can help in the kitchen.
*My make ahead options notes include ways to get ahead early in the day so dinner time is not so stressful.
If there are good freezer meal options I include those as well.
*My what to serve with it section includes, when possible, some ideas for what to serve with the main dish, because sometimes rounding out a meal can be a challenge!

Looking forward to sharing my cooking adventures and having others come alongside me in the journey!