About
Welcome to my blog! I decided to create this blog after my (now apron-less) daughter reunited me with my passion for cooking upon her return home from a year living in Paris. She came back to the States all excited to create every meal from scratch — something we Americans don’t have to do very often! With her contagious enthusiasm, I created a cooking group with a few friends. Our “test” kitchen is so much fun! Each week we gather in someone’s kitchen armed with a plan: baking our first totally from scratch pie crust, creating amazing finger foods for an upcoming party, inventing a meat inspired dish to feed our hungry, carnivorous spouses, and the list goes on…. We are pushing ourselves to create foods we haven’t tried before. So far, so good. Nothing disastrous! My blog is a mixture not only of what comes out of our weekly cooking sessions, but also old-time favorites of mine that are tried and true keepers. The purpose of my blog is to inspire you to make healthy and delicious foods you can feed not only your family but your company as well. So dust off your apron and lets get cooking!
A Little More About Me
I am a Rhode Island home cook, writer and photographer, and almost everything you see on this blog was cooked, styled and photographed in my own kitchen. Living near the ocean shapes the way I cook. Summer means lobster and corn on the Fourth of July, oysters whenever I can get them and lazy taco nights by the harbor. Fall means soup season, and around here soup season starts the minute the first cool breeze rolls in.
I am also a gardener, or at least I try to be. Every spring I plant heirloom tomatoes, green beans, peas, herbs and radishes, and every summer I fight a very determined woodchuck for the harvest. Some years I win. Many of the recipes here start with whatever is ripe in the backyard or whatever looks best at the farmers market that week.
The Test Kitchen
The cooking group I mentioned above is still the heart of this blog. A few friends and I take turns hosting, each of us arrives with a plan, and we tackle something none of us has made before. Sometimes it is a from scratch pie crust, sometimes it is a tray of finger foods for an upcoming party, and sometimes it is a hearty main dish for our very hungry families. If a recipe makes it onto this blog, it has been cooked, tasted and talked over around a real kitchen table.
I eat mostly vegetarian, but I cook for people who love their chicken and shrimp, so you will find plenty of both here. When I share a recipe I try to tell you what worked, what did not and how to adjust it for your own family.
What You Will Find Here
- Appetizers and Snacks. Party bites, dips and homemade chips that disappear fast.
- Breakfast and Sweets. Muffins, granola, scones, pies and easy summer treats.
- Main Dishes. Weeknight dinners and company worthy mains, meat and meatless.
- Soups and Sides. A bowl for every season and the vegetables that round out dinner.
- Salads and Dressings. Fresh salads and the dressings I shake up in a jar.
- Pantry and Sauces. Homemade seasonings, pickles, crackers and sauces.
From My Instagram
Day to day, you will find me on Instagram sharing garden hauls, beach days, what is simmering on the stove and the occasional photo of the real boss of our house, our cat. Come say hello at @mydaughtersapron.
Let’s Keep in Touch
I love hearing from readers. Tell me what you cooked, what you would change or what you want to see next. You can reach me any time through my contact page, and you can also find My Daughter’s Apron on Facebook and Pinterest.
Thanks for stopping by. Now go dust off that apron.
Mandy