Hi! I’m Jackelin!
Welcome to my little corner of the internet. If you’ve landed here, we probably already have a lot in common. Primarily, a love of good food.
I haven’t always loved food. In fact, when I was little, my mom used to feed me cereal with heavy cream instead of milk for fear I would wither away into nothing if she didn’t sneak fat into my diet at every opportunity.
How did I get here?
Becoming a vegetarian and moving away to college was probably the catalyst to my interest in cooking. As a vegetarian in the 80s, I constantly contended with strange looks from people who thought I belonged to some sort of weird cult. Vegetarianism in the West was so rare back then, restaurants offered few meatless options, if any. Consequently, cooking at home was pretty much the only way to enjoy a variety of delicious food. So, I learned to cook, and I liked it!
The other important influence in my love affair with food is my mother. My earliest memories of my mom involve an apron, a stock pot and a rolling pin. My mom always cooked and baked from scratch and prioritized her days based on whatever recipe she was cooking. Growing up in South America, lunch was an actual hot meal that had been cooking on the stove since just after breakfast. And then, of course, after lunch came dinner, which meant the aroma of herbs and spices was a constant in my home. For this experience, I am forever grateful – I bow down to my mom a thousand times in thanks for nurturing in me and my siblings a passion and dedication to cooking.
Today, while I’m no longer vegetarian, I hold a particular fondness for plant-based foods, so you’ll find many recipes for vegetarian and vegan entrees and side dishes on my blog. And while I love to experiment with many types of cooking and baking, I don’t adhere to any one particular way of eating. To be true to myself, I find balance in eating a wide range of foods. It’s simply what works for me.
Whether you’re new to cooking or looking for some fresh inspiration, I’m delighted that you’ve stopped in! I hope you’ll come back often as I continue to add my own new recipes and those that have been shared with me by food-loving friends in my community.
Thank you for joining me on my food blogging adventure!
Jackelin