I’m a young American woman with a passion for writing and cooking. I’m also a very lost ex-pat. My husband and I moved to London in late September for his job and I have found myself exploring my way around a British kitchen as much as I’m navigating a foreign city.

I grew up with two parents who loved cooking and taught me the comfort you find in the kitchen. My father is a man who can make a feast out of what would look to you or I like a sack of flour and a cabinet of spices. My dad focuses on patience and tradition in the kitchen. My mother had a love of entertaining that led her to open her home to hundreds. Whether she was cooking a simple dinner for her family or making 12 desserts for an event, taste, presentation, and ease were all equally important.

From my family I have gained a great foundation of cooking skills. That said, I would probably accredit most of my knowledge to good old trial and error. And over the years, I have become my own kind of food obsessed. To me, reading the latest Food Network star’s cookbook is about as addictive as The Hunger Games. Planning out my weekly menu over coffee is my reason to get out of bed on Sunday mornings. And frankly, wandering the aisles of the grocery store here (Waitrose is my store of choice) was my first savior from homesickness. How can you think about what you are missing back home when you have as many choices of duck and goose fat as butter in the refrigerated section?

While I’ve been in the kitchen most of my life, over the last few years, I’ve begun branching away from recipes and creating my own culinary creations. Living here in London, I am excited to take the time to explore this art of cooking, as well as use this opportunity to stay in touch with family and friends, sharing my recipes and taking inspiration from their food and traditions.

Full disclosure: what I’m not is a photographer.  I’m far from anything artistic.  I can’t paint or dance and anyone who knows and loves me will tell you that I actually am, in fact, the worst singer on earth.  But if taste is a creation, maybe there’s hope for me yet.

*Please feel free to use any of my recipes in your own home, but these are my original creations and should not be used for profit or commercial purposes.

© ABroadCooking