Welcome to my happy place…the kitchen! I’m so glad you’re here!
I’m Michelle, a former accountant now following my true passion – cooking!
I read cookbooks like novels and binge watch cooking shows. I believe good food is one of life’s greatest joys, and I love sharing food and cooking for others. Smiles from happy eaters of my food warm my heart. Many of my best memories are centered around gathering at the table with family and friends over delicious home-cooked meals.
I live on a beautiful old farm in the mountains of Pennsylvania with my husband, David (taste tester, honest critic, maker of maple syrup, excellent bread baker and griller…plus, he does the dishes!), our super sweet rescue dog, Blue (crumb catcher, dish pre-washer, and 70-pound lap dog who helps keep me in shape by demanding to walk several miles every single day – PitLaPugs rule!), and the newest addition to our family, our tiny 10-pound, muppet-faced, always-happy Bichon Frise, Joy.
We live in the middle of nowhere, so I cook just about every meal every day, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I like knowing what’s in our food, and (bonus!) we save a ton of money by not eating out a lot.
I learned a long time ago that you don’t have to have a big, fancy kitchen, be a trained chef, or spend hours in the kitchen to make fabulous food. We eat pretty darn good around here, yet I have a tiny vintage kitchen, and I’m a self-taught home cook who learned from watching my mom, my grandmas and, yes, those great early days of Food Network (miss them!).
For many years, I worked 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, but was determined to make home-cooked meals mostly every day, so I became a self-proclaimed expert in finding easy and delicious recipes that don’t take a ton of time. Almost everything I cook is done in less than an hour (often less) – but if it takes a little longer, well, then I think it’s totally worth the extra time!
You’ll find a little bit of everything here – savory, sweet, healthy, indulgent – because I like to eat a little bit of everything and love trying new things! What you won’t find is anything too complicated or made with strange, hard-to-find ingredients. I cook from scratch as much as possible and keep overly-processed ingredients to a minimum (although I am definitely not opposed to a good shortcut now and then!).
I’ve personally cooked, tested, and photographed (still learning this one!) every single recipe here, and they are all my favorites – some that I’ve cooked many, many times and some that are newly-discovered favorites that are definitely worth repeating. All are simple to make and taste delicious!
When I cook a great recipe, I just want to share it so others can enjoy it, so that’s what I’m here to do! With our crazy-busy lives, sometimes the hardest part of cooking at home can be just finding really good, reliable recipes. I’ve already done that part for you!
I want us all to cook and eat at home more, and I want this blog to be a go-to place where you know you can always come to find something simple and delicious to cook. I hope you will be inspired to get in the kitchen and try some of these recipes, and I hope you find some new favorites!
Thanks so much for visiting! Happy Cooking!
