I live two blocks from the ocean and treasure the life and love I have with my best friend by my side. A kitchen full of goodness makes the home a happy place. Delicious smells and new creations keeps everyone smiling! My goal is to own a restaurant one day and share my love of food with others. I love a new challenge. I almost never make a dish the same way twice- it's always a little of this, a dash of that. I don't follow recipes well, but rather work with the basic idea and add my own flare. My parents are both Russian so special occasion and comfort food cooking traditions involve Slavic food such as Borscht, piroshki, pilimeni, varenicki... and on Easter things like Paska bread and Napoleon cake. My kids now enjoy this tradition at my parents home- something they will remember all of their lives, long after my parents are gone. As I grow and learn, my cooking develops and deepens. I've taken to using an online notebook to document successes, ideas, recipes, menus, everything. It takes a moment but it really solidifies ideas and has immensely improved my cooking. Beef stew, circa 1993. Disaster Disaster Disaster. We were having company and I didn't know what I was doing, but was undaunted. I boiled the meat cubes, then added about 1/4 cup of Worchestershire sauce and brown sugar and raw vegetables to the boiling cauldron. After waving the white flag of defeat, we ended up getting take out to entertain our guests. I think they were entertained enough when they saw my attempt at beef stew. LOL