An Introduction - about me

I love cooking, I love cook books and I love recipes! I started “cooking” at the age of 2 when I helped my mum in the kitchen. I sat in the counter and stirred while she baked away. I was a troublesome child who frequently got into mischief. My mum started cooking with me so she knew where I was (the promise of getting to lick the spoon was reward enough for sitting still). I was almost 4 years old when I prepared my first meal - breakfast for myself. What did I make? I got myself a bowl of Praise Mayonnaise and ate the whole lot, since then I have been hooked, on cooking - not mayonnaise (funny about that).

I have adult onset allergies (a severe egg allergy and am lactose intolerant), if these items are listed in a dish, it means I am unable to eat it and depend soley on my family and friends to critique it for me. It appears the stress of mulitiple babies in a short period of time may or may not be the cause of my body responding to eggs and dairy as they do now. Very sad, but a fact I have to deal with on a daily basis. If you have an allergy - please honour it.

I have a very happy, well fed husband (Mark) who after 14 years of marriage still enjoys my cooking, together we live near Melbourne (Australia), the city is about 20 minutes away. We have 4 children (3 sons and a daughter) ages are 10, 9, 7.5 and almost 6. As you can imagine, I am in the kitchen a great deal - making meals, lunch box fillers and trying new recipes. My love of cooking has been a blessing in disguise - cooking your own is much cheaper than buying from the store and in most instances healthier too. I am no health nut nor a health professional, but I understand the need to be aware of what we put in our mouths.

I am mostly known for my brownies, the willingness to share my recipes and the fact that I own over 350 cook books. If someone has a recipe/cooking question, I am the go to girl. I am not interested in fancy cuisine, expensive ingredients and bizarre dishes. Home cooking is what you will find here! We live on a budget, as most families do, my aim to help other parents and families in the kitchen. Sharing ideas and recipes that kids and adults alike will (hopefully) eat and enjoy.

You will get to see first hand what I create in my kitchen for my family (with a recipe). Feel free to comment and ask questions - I am interested in what others have to say about my dishes, particularly if you have taken the time to prepare them yourself.

Happy cooking!
Elizabeth xxx