About

Unlike many home cooks, I grew up not really learning much. I could cook hamburger, but never really mastered mac and cheese. (To this day, I still can't make the instant mac and cheese without it coming out too liquidy. I've tried everything.)

After college, I realized I really needed to learn how to cook for myself. I was tired of frozen heat and eat type meals. My friends Ben and Karen are the first ones who taught me that food could be fun. They exposed me to good food and Karen taught me a few basic recipes. 

I started enjoying food a bit too much at this point, and decided it was time to learn how to cook healthier. I bought a Weight Watcher's cook book and my roommate and I went through that book trying anything that looked good. I still have that tattered cook book and use it all the time. The Weight Watchers cook book introduced me to cooking with herbs and spices. This was a revelation for me! 

At one point I took a part time holiday job at the local Williams Sonoma. This is when things really picked up for me. I used my employee discount to purchase high quality basic tools that will be in my kitchen forever. I discovered epicurious.com after a former chef introduced me to the site. I started trying new recipes with new ingredients and techniques. 

From there, I've been continually challenging myself to try new and different things. Sometimes the recipes turn out great. Others are disasters. 

I got serious about cooking a few years ago when my boyfriend purchased the Culinary Institute of America cookbook. I devoured that book. I taught myself how to make sauces from scratch, made homemade pasta, breads. I was in over my head and loving every minute of it! After that, I joined the Cleverley Farms flexible CSA and started learning more about organic and "whole" foods.

You'll notice that not all recipes are mine on this website. I give credit, and links, to the original recipes. Many times I will modify those recipes in ways that work better for me. If a post references any other recipe, you will find a link (or citation, if from a book) at the bottom of the post. I'll post some original recipes, some that I've received from family and friends, and recipes from other sources that I just cannot live without.