Welcome to my recipe home! Come, pull up a chair & allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Jen. I love to create. Pictured above is one creation that I am most proud of– my little family. They also happen to be the inspiration for most of what I do in life. Let it be known, first and foremost, that my passion for food isn’t for the food itself. It is a passion of mine because of the way it helps nurture the ones I love most, and because of the way it helps me connect with others.
Why did I create this site?
1. For YEARS I’ve needed a practical way to organize, store, and share my favorite food ideas. I have tried every method of recipe organizing under the sun….aaand never stuck with any of them! The thought of a web-based solution crossed my mind many times in the past, but I didn’t have the time… Or rather, I had convinced myself that it was quicker just to stuff my handwritten recipes into a catch-all brown box. Through the years I got really good at the “identify the recipe by its trademark stains and crinkles” game.
2. Years ago, the discovery of dairy/nut allergies in our family was life changing. I had to completely shift my approach to food. There weren’t many resources online or in the stores back then, so I had to rely on my own experimentation to find meals that would not only work for us, but that would also help us retain a sense of “normalcy” in our everyday eating. I wanted to contribute what I’ve learned to the world of online resources. There may be some food ideas I’ve come up with that can help ease someone else’s stress as they make the same food transitions.
3. As more and more people contacted me for dairy/nut free food ideas, I knew I needed an easier, faster way to share whatever resources I could offer. Retyping, copying, pasting, emailing, and posting recipes, links, and resources over and over became too time consuming.
So after years of avoiding the task, I have successfully been pushed over the edge and…. TA-DAH! Here we are– a safe haven for my recipes, as well as easy, organized access for my family and friends! It’s a win-win, folks.
Some Things You Ought To Know About Me:
1. I ain’t no foodie extremist. You’re not going to hear me rant about how refined sugar is from the devil, how one obscure grain or seed is the heal-all in your diet, or how one type of oil is the god of all oils. My food philosophy is simple: Eat food, REAL food, in VARIETY and MODERATION. Substitute in a healthier ingredient here and there as you’re able. Learn to appreciate natural flavors by tasting individual, fresh ingredients a little at a time. Learn to recognize when your body is full enough and appetite is satisfied. Just do the best you can and keep trying! You CAN refine your taste buds and retrain your sense of “full”– all it takes is deliberate practice. Healthy eating habits can fuse into your lifestyle, so food will no longer be just about fads, discouragement, and guilt. Instead, food can become a source of health, happiness, healing, and a positive way of connecting with those around you– especially family. All this takes time…but isn’t that true for all good things in life?
2. You’ll hear me say “Food Ideas” a lot because that is how I think. I rarely follow recipes to a T. As I once read on a sign in a restaurant, “Recipes don’t make good food. People do.” “Recipes” are guidelines that have a lot of potential in between the lines. I recognize we all have different bodies and different taste buds, which is why I whole-heartedly encourage your experimentation! After all, that is how I came up with all the family favorite archives I have today.
3. I’m not a professional, formally trained cook; I am just the beneficiary of a strong food culture that has been passed down for generations. I have a passion for food and for the role it plays in our lives. I am passionate about continuing my food journey, absorbing whatever knowledge and experience I can, and sharing the joys I discover along the way. (You can read more about this in my post “Why a Passion for Food?”)
4. I am definitely not a professional food photographer and I, like many of you, don’t have time to make most meals picture perfect. A lot of the photos you’ll see on this site are of meals that have been whipped up in a hurry with pictures taken in poor lighting. As much as this sometimes pains the creative-perfectionist inside of me, I do appreciate that this is reality captured in a photo. Real life– something we all need to live more in.
Hey, thanks for the chat! Let’s do this again real soon!
