A little something about Scott and I

First and foremost there is an even bigger explanation into the random order, inspiration for the cookbook & amount of recipes being posted daily. The amount of cooking Scott and I do daily is awesome! We both love cooking, baking, grilling, & the list goes on. You name it and we love it! This passion for food and cooking is in our roots, literally.

Scott's grandmother Cora (our littlest daughters namesake) began baking at the age of three in her families homestead in North Dakota. Scott's grandparents found roots in the little town of Yreka, CA where they grew everything they ate in their garden. Grandma Cora made everything including bread, lefse, krumkake, roulebalska, and various other Norwegian specialties. With Scott's frequent and lengthy visits to Yreka he began a culinary journey into his grandparents' heritage.

My great-grandmother Hattie (our oldest daughters' namesake) passed on some amazing southern cuisine through the generations. Great-grandma Hattie was from Arkansas as was my grandma Melba and my mom Kitty. My grandfather was from Kentucky, another mecca of southern cuisine. My culinary journey began like Scott's, early on in our childhoods with everyday meals that didn't mean much at the time.

With our culinary journey's merging together with our Mom's cooking adventures from the 70's and 80's there was uniting force, our families love for food. The fad cuisines of the 70's, 80's & 90's as well as the invention of the microwave changed our households. Versions of Italian, Chinese, Mexican, and American classics were all contenders in our childhood favorite recipes. Scott and I both realized that our Moms had a similar habit of working with the same 6 or 7 recipes for the weeknights. There were seasonal favorites, celebratory favorites, and of course everyone's favorite comfort classics.

Over the last few years Scott and I have created our own weekly rotation which includes some our childhood favorites. There is a give and take when it comes to our childhood favorites when on some nights two versions of the same dish are on the table. Both versions are both equally delicious, but different nonetheless. There should be a clause in the marriage vows: there will be a marriage of recipes. There are nights when you eat something you can't pronounce (or stomach). Luckily I have been fortunate enough to not ever be in that predicament since Norwegian food is pretty tame, aside from the lutefisk (traditional Scandinavian dish prepared by soaking air-dried cod in a lye solution for several weeks before skinning, boning, and boiling it, a process that gives the dish its characteristic gelatinous consistency).

This cookbook allows Scott and I to get some recipes down on paper, share them with others, and create a collection that is our own. Over the years I am sure this book will grow as our family does. I am just so honored and thrilled to see everyone's excitement over the cookbook.