Hi and welcome to The Family Kitchen Table – I am so happy you are here!
When I think of the kitchen table, I think of family and friends, sharing meals and stories – living life together with those we welcome into our homes.
I hope you feel welcome and at home here at my online kitchen table. We may not be able to share an actual meal together, but we can share a little part of life.
What can you expect from this space? Here you will find a few of my own family recipes, cookbook recommendations, all the tips and tricks I have learned over the years cooking for my family and friends, along with stories from my life weaved throughout.
That’s the “short story.” Interested in knowing more? Keep reading…
A few years ago, I started occasionally posting photographs on Facebook and Instagram of my family’s dinners. For the same reason I might post a photograph of a sunset or a flower or even my kids, I posted photographs of the food I found beautiful.
It is no coincidence my posts became more frequent the same time I felt like I was finally learning my way around the kitchen. Not only was I becoming more confident with cooking, but I was also starting to enjoy my time in the kitchen. I loved trying new recipes, learning new cooking techniques, tasting new combinations of flavors. I was eager to get in the kitchen each day and looked forward to that time.
Over the past few years, cooking has become a big part of my life. It is one of my favorite creative outlets. It is how I relax and how I have fun. Cooking for others has become my way of showing love for family and friends, celebrating accomplishments and good news, supporting and helping during difficult days – it is my way of connecting with others, my way of offering compassion, empathy, and encouragement.
In the beginning…
I have not always enjoyed my time in the kitchen and I did not always feel good about cooking for others (truth be told, I still get nervous when I am cooking for someone other than my family!)
I started cooking as a newly married 27-year-old with this idyllic vision of cooking delicious meals for my family and hosting dinner parties with friends. Well, let’s just say the intuition of knowing how to prepare a delicious gourmet dinner did not just appear the moment I stepped into the kitchen – as I had apparently and wrongly assumed it would.
In the beginning, I felt very uneasy and out of my comfort in the kitchen. I wanted to enjoy it, have fun with it. I wanted it to feel less like a chore and I wanted to feel like I knew what I was doing. And so I kept at it, persisting through the discouragement of failed dishes, learning from cooking shows and food magazines, always looking for and trying new recipes.
It took time and I am still learning but now I absolutely love cooking!
This blog…
After a few hints, nudges, and suggestions by friends and family, I decided to create a space for all the food photographs, recipes, and lessons I’ve learned. It has been a secret dream of mine to be a writer and to have a blog. The Family Kitchen Table is that dream coming to fruition!
Just like I would do at my actual kitchen table in my home, here I will share recipes and ideas for meals. You will learn about my favorite cookbooks, products, and resources. I will certainly talk about food a lot and I will also share the memories, the moments, the people, and the stories behind the food – the stories are what connect us with the food, making it all the more beautiful and delicious.
I hope you find the inspiration and encouragement to try something new yourself in the kitchen!