How it all started

I don’t remember the first thing I ever cooked, but I do remember the first time I thought, “I need to cook.”

My fiancé and I had just moved in together, and I felt like it was my job to transform our tiny, galley-style kitchen—complete with appliances from 1985—into a gourmet dining chalet. In my mind, that’s what the women in my life had always done. My mom cooked every meal. So did my grandmothers, my aunts, my friends’ moms. I don’t think I had ever seen a man cook, except for the occasional hot dog grilled in the backyard—mostly as an excuse to drink beer and smoke cigarettes (things the women didn’t allow in the house!).

That’s where it all started.

I followed my mom’s recipes and got advice from my soon-to-be mother-in-law. In fact, a few of those recipes are on the cards you’ll see in the photo. I carefully followed each step, buying kitchen staples like measuring cups, whisks, and casserole dishes (or as Minnesotans like to call them, hot dish dishes). For our wedding, I received more kitchen appliances than I knew what to do with—including a bread maker and a rice steamer (it was 1999, after all).

What came after that was unexpected.

Instead of feeling like cooking was a chore (something so many women in my life had complained about), I found that I really enjoyed it. Cooking sparked a creative side of me I hadn’t tapped into before. With each dish, my confidence grew—especially when someone said, “Now that was pretty good.”

As my career took off and the kids came along, cooking became my Zen place. It brought me peace and joy. It became a way to connect to the parts of my life I loved most—family, travel, yoga, etc.

And so it began...

Now here I am at 50, well-seasoned in both life and cooking. I hope you’ll enjoy reading my stories—sprinkled with humor and seasoned with a twist of food and recipes.

Here's a classic in my treasure trove of recipe cards with a few tips and tricks I made along the years: https://www.fiftyseasonedlife.com/recipes/chicken-mexicana-casserole