About

How Cooking Became My Thing

I didn't grow up in a family of amazing cooks. My mom worked long hours as a nurse, so dinner was usually something quick and practical. We ate a lot of spaghetti, tacos from kits, and rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. It wasn't fancy, but it was what we needed at the time.

When I moved to Seattle after college and got my first apartment, I realized I had no idea how to cook anything beyond scrambled eggs and boxed mac and cheese. I was working entry-level marketing jobs, barely making rent, and eating out was draining my bank account fast. So I started teaching myself to cook out of pure necessity. I'd watch cooking shows on the weekends, call my aunt in Texas for advice, and try recipes I found online. Some turned out great. Others ended up in the trash.

But somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing cooking as a chore and started seeing it as something I actually enjoyed. There was something satisfying about turning random ingredients into a real meal. When I met my now-husband and we moved in together, cooking became our thing. We'd try new recipes on Friday nights, tweak them until they were exactly how we liked them, and before I knew it, I had a whole collection of recipes that we made over and over again.

Why I Started pickledplate.com

A few years ago, after our second kid was born, life got chaotic. I was juggling work, two young kids, and trying to keep everyone fed without losing my mind. I needed recipes that were simple, reliable, and didn't require me to run to three different stores for specialty ingredients. I started writing down the meals that worked—the ones my kids would actually eat, the ones I could prep ahead, the ones that tasted like comfort after a long day.

Friends kept asking me to share my recipes, so I finally decided to put them all in one place. That's how pickledplate.com was born. I wanted to create a resource for people like me—busy parents, home cooks who want good food without the fuss, anyone who's tired of complicated recipes that promise the world and deliver stress.

This site is all about real food for real life. You'll find weeknight dinners that come together in under an hour, desserts that make any day feel special, comfort food classics, and seasonal recipes that celebrate what's fresh and available. Everything here is designed with American home cooks in mind, using ingredients you can find at your regular grocery store.

How I Develop My Recipes

Every single recipe on pickledplate.com gets made in my own kitchen, usually several times before I publish it. I cook on a standard home stove, use regular pots and pans, and shop at the same grocery stores you probably do. There's no fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients unless I genuinely think they're worth it, and even then, I'll suggest alternatives.

My process is pretty straightforward. I'll make a recipe based on an idea or something I've been craving. Then I taste it, figure out what needs adjusting, and make it again. Sometimes I'll change the seasoning ratios, adjust cooking times, or simplify the steps to make them more manageable. I test everything until I'm confident it's going to work for you the first time you try it.

I also pay close attention to the instructions. If something could be confusing or if there's a step that's easy to mess up, I rewrite it until it's crystal clear. My goal is that you can read through a recipe once, gather your ingredients, and cook it successfully without any surprises or frustrations.

Running the Site Solo

I run pickledplate.com completely on my own, which honestly keeps me pretty busy. I handle the recipe development, all the writing, the website updates, and everything in between. Some days it feels like a lot, especially when I'm trying to balance it with family life and everything else on my plate. But I love having full creative control and knowing that everything you see here comes directly from my kitchen and my experience.

My husband and kids are my unofficial taste-testers, and they're brutally honest about what works and what doesn't. If my seven-year-old won't touch something, I know I need to rethink it. If my husband goes back for seconds, I know I'm onto something good. They keep me grounded and remind me that recipes need to work for real families, not just look pretty on a screen.

What You Can Expect from My Recipes

My biggest priority is giving you recipes you can trust. I know how disappointing it is to spend time and money on a recipe that flops, and I never want that to happen with something from pickledplate.com. These are recipes I make for my own family, and I want them to work just as well in your kitchen as they do in mine.

You won't find overly complicated techniques or intimidating ingredient lists here. What you will find is honest, straightforward cooking that delivers on flavor and doesn't make you feel like you need a culinary degree. Whether you're an experienced cook or just starting out, these recipes are designed to be approachable and actually achievable on a weeknight.

How This Website Stays Running

I want to be upfront with you—pickledplate.com earns money through advertisements and affiliate links. When you see ads on the site or when I recommend products and you click through to purchase them, it helps support the time and effort that goes into creating, testing, and sharing these recipes. It's what makes it possible for me to keep all the content free and accessible to anyone who wants to use it.

Thanks for Being Here

I'm genuinely grateful that you found pickledplate.com. Whether you're searching for a quick dinner solution, planning a special meal, or just browsing for inspiration, I hope you find recipes here that make your life a little easier and a lot more delicious. Dive in, try something new, and let me know what you think. Happy cooking!