About

How I Fell in Love with Cooking

I grew up in a small town in Ohio where Sunday dinners weren't just meals—they were events. My grandmother would start cooking Saturday afternoon, and by the time we all gathered the next day, her house smelled like heaven. She taught me that cooking wasn't about being fancy or following rules perfectly. It was about making people feel loved and making sure nobody left hungry.

When I got married at twenty-three, I barely knew how to boil pasta without it turning into mush. My husband would joke that my idea of seasoning was adding more salt. But I was determined to learn, especially after our two kids came along. I couldn't afford to eat out all the time, and I wanted them to grow up with real home cooking, not just frozen dinners heated in the microwave.

So I learned. I called my grandmother constantly, scribbled notes on index cards, and made plenty of mistakes along the way. There was the Thanksgiving turkey that came out so dry we could barely chew it, and the chocolate cake that somehow turned into chocolate soup. But slowly, things started clicking. I found my rhythm in the kitchen, and what started as necessity turned into genuine passion.

Why I Created dotcooks

After I retired from teaching three years ago, I suddenly had time on my hands and a kitchen that had been calling my name for years. My kids were grown with families of their own, and they kept asking me to write down my recipes so they could make them at home. My daughter would text me at six in the evening asking how to make my pot roast, and I realized I'd been carrying all these recipes around in my head without ever putting them on paper.

That's when my husband suggested I start a website. I'll be honest—I thought he was crazy. I'm sixty-one years old and barely knew how to attach a file to an email. But he set everything up for me, handles all the technical stuff and social media posts, and now I get to focus on what I actually love: cooking and sharing recipes.

This website exists for anyone who wants to make good food without the stress. Whether you're a busy parent trying to get dinner on the table between soccer practice and homework, someone who's just learning to cook and needs clear instructions, or you simply love comfort food that reminds you of home—this is for you. I share weeknight dinners that come together quickly, desserts that make special occasions feel special, and the kind of cozy, satisfying recipes that American families have been making for generations.

How I Create These Recipes

Every recipe on this website gets cooked in my actual kitchen, usually multiple times. I don't have a fancy test kitchen or a team of recipe developers. It's just me, my regular home stove, and the same grocery stores you probably shop at.

When I'm working on a new recipe, I make it first the way I think it should go. Then I eat it, think about what could be better, and make it again. Sometimes I'll adjust the seasoning or change the cooking time. If something seems tricky or unclear, I rewrite the instructions until they make sense. My goal is that when you follow one of my recipes, it turns out the way it's supposed to—not some perfect magazine version, but real, delicious food that you'll want to make again.

I also pay attention to what people actually have in their pantries. I'm not going to call for some obscure ingredient you can only find at a specialty store two towns over. If a recipe needs something unusual, I'll tell you about substitutions or explain why it's worth tracking down.

A Little Help from My Husband

While I handle all the cooking and recipe writing, I couldn't run this website without my husband, Tom. He's the one who convinced me to start dotcooks in the first place, and he's been my biggest supporter ever since. He manages the website maintenance, figures out why things aren't working when they break, and posts to our social media accounts because I still can't quite get the hang of hashtags.

He's also my most honest taste-tester. After forty years of marriage, he's not shy about telling me when something needs more garlic or when a casserole is a little too dry. We make a good team—I create the recipes, he makes sure people can actually find them online.

My Promise to You

Everything I share here is meant to be helpful and reliable. I know how frustrating it is to spend time and money on a recipe that doesn't work, and I never want that to happen to you with something from my kitchen. These are recipes I genuinely make for my own family, and I want them to work just as well in your home as they do in mine.

My goal isn't to impress you with complicated techniques or trendy ingredients. It's to give you recipes you can trust—the kind that become your go-to solutions for weeknight dinners, holiday gatherings, and everything in between.

A Quick Note About How This Site Works

Just so you know, dotcooks earns money through advertisements and affiliate links. When you see ads on the site or click on product recommendations, it helps support the work that goes into creating, testing, and sharing these recipes. It's what allows me to keep doing this and keep all the recipes free for you to use.

Let's Cook Together

I'm so happy you found your way here. Whether you're looking for a quick Tuesday night dinner, planning a special weekend meal, or just browsing for inspiration, I hope you find something that makes you excited to get in the kitchen. Take a look around, try a recipe or two, and let me know how it goes. Happy cooking!