I haven't always enjoyed cooking. 

There was a time in my life when cooking was a chore, something to be endured, a means to an end. Then I moved to a city where I knew no one and began my first job out of college. I realized very quickly that I needed a hobby or I would go stir crazy.  I also needed a way to feed myself that didn't involve eating from the cafeteria of the elementary school where I taught! 

So I began putting some effort into my time spent in the kitchen. Thankfully, I come from a long line of great cooks who had laid a solid foundation of eating healthy, home cooked meals. Still, as a single person, I often found that I would make a meal one night and eat it for lunch and dinner the next day.... and lunch again the following day. While I dealt with the monotony, I looked forward to cooking for my family someday.  

That day came in June of 2009 when I married my best friend. I dove into the whole meal planning process and found it to be enjoyable, but still something I considered a chore. 

It wasn't until school started again and I decided to undertake a huge process known as becoming a Nationally Board Certified teacher that I realized my time was suddenly very precious. On top of working full time, I now had to spend an additional ten or so hours a week working on my National Boards, not to mention figure out married life on top of it all. My free time was whittled down very quickly until all that was left was the time I spent in the kitchen. 

I soon came to love the time I spent making dinner. It afforded me some down time while my husband was able to finish working in our home office. I cranked up the music and let my mind wander as I prepared meals. It soon became more than just a chore or duty as a wife and transitioned into a hobby. I began to research recipes and stumbled across many great cooking blogs. Cooking became therapeutic, almost a sacred time where I could be creative and immediately see the fruits of my labor- something that doesn't happen often in my life as a special education teacher. 

By no means am I an expert, just someone who enjoys cooking and baking. The purpose of this blog is to hopefully help you come to enjoy the process as well.