From the time I was young, I can remember the smell of my mom’s cooking floating through the house. My mom loved to cook and was always adventurous with her meals. Unfortunately- she got stuck with some very fussy children who mostly lived on pasta and chicken.

As I got older, I started to appreciate my mom’s enthusiasm for food that was flavorful and vibrant. I had always loved to bake, but started to expand into cooking as a teenager. When I was 22, I made the crazy decision to move to Scotland to pursue nursing with my 18 month old daughter in hand. However, I was not prepared for how vastly different the supermarkets would be. Many of the foods and ingredients I had come to love were simply unavailable over there. I quickly learned that I would need to start making a lot more meals from scratch!

Although it was time consuming, it challenged my own skills as well as forced me to change and adapt certain flavor profiles. I missed the comforts of home, but living in Europe offered me new experiences that centered around connection rather than just eating. I started to travel more, trying new foods to recreate when I got home. During my time in Scotland, I developed recipes (new and old) using ingredients that were accessible in Scottish supermarkets. While baking was still my specialty, I grew to love cooking and found it to be a cure homesickness when it creeped up.

In August 2023, we made the difficult decision to move back to the PNW. I missed my family and the familiar comforts of home. I met my partner shortly after and combined households- my daughter and two cats with his four children. My house is frequently chaotic- there’s a full dishwasher after nearly every meal, dinosaurs abandoned on the floor, and more laundry than I can count. I’ve gone from feeding a family of 2 to 7- most of which are fussy eaters.

There has been a lot of trial and error, hits and misses, and “gross!” said at the dinner table since starting this journey. Somedays, I feel like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast- (you know the line) “Then go ahead and STARVE!” But every time I get a thumbs up- I can’t stop myself from smiling and thinking “YES! I did it!” My cooking still prefers variety (we have the “try one bite” rule), but I am learning to incorporate more safe options that will appeal to all. To the parents of fussy eaters- I hear you and I see you!

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share the food that makes my family happy!