And yummymeals is my little corner of the internet!
I first started cooking seriously in 2016, the year I left my job as a graphic designer and moved to Portland with my husband, Alex. I was trying to recreate the comfort foods I missed from my hometown, and the kitchen quickly became my favorite studio. By the time I was experimenting with a sourdough starter in early 2018, I realized I wanted a place to share the recipes that kept my family fed and happy.
yummymeals launched in September 2018 as a simple WordPress blog. In the first year I posted three recipes a week, and the traffic grew slowly but steadily. By March 2023 we were serving 45,000 unique visitors each month, and the “Quick Weeknight” video series had been watched more than 200,000 times. In June 2024 I released a free e‑book, “30 Meals in 30 Days,” which has been downloaded over 10,000 times. The site now includes a searchable recipe index, a monthly newsletter, and a small shop where I sell my homemade spice blends.
I live in the Hawthorne district of Portland with Alex and our two kids, Maya (7) and Leo (4). When I’m not whisking a sauce or snapping a photo for the blog, you’ll find me hiking the Columbia River Gorge, sipping a single‑origin pour‑over at my favorite coffee cart, or trying to perfect my grandma’s apple crumble. My three favorite things are fresh basil, rainy afternoons, and the sound of a well‑timed oven timer.
If you’ve ever wondered why I keep a notebook of “failed” recipes on the fridge, it’s because I love the messy part of cooking—the moments when a dish doesn’t turn out as expected and I have to improvise. Those little experiments are what keep yummymeals honest, and they’re the reason I keep writing every week.