My name is Shauna and I currently reside in south Florida. I am a native to Florida, which is a rare find these days. My roots may lie in the sunshine state, but I spent 8 years of my life growing up in North Carolina. On top of that, my mom is from upstate New York, where I have also spent time. As you can imagine, I have quite a bit of respect for foods of all regions. I try to keep the heartiness of southern food while staying healthful. I add a bit of the lightness and simplicity you may think of when Florida comes to mind. In the end I tie it all together with the comfort and tradition of the north.

I spent some time in the kitchen growing up, but it was never a huge thing to me as a child. I did cherish those moments I spent making Christmas cookies with my Nana and clearly remember the tasty spaghetti sauce that was created from the tomatoes lovingly grown in my Papa’s garden every year. I also loved our traditional holiday meals. Cooking wasn’t a major event day to day though. There was always a great home cooked meal on the table, but it wasn’t some big hoorah.

Surprisingly, my college years were when my passion for cooking was sparked. We would turn on Food Network and watch Iron Chef Japan as a form of entertainment during those many late nights. That just turned into a spiraling effect and before long I was watching Food Network 90% of the time. As time went on I have learned more and more. I still learn more and more each day. I read, I watch, I discuss and I experiment. Sometimes I win and sometimes not so much, but I like to think that I never lose. I by no means consider myself some extraordinary cook, but I like to think that I have the heart. And when it comes to the magic that is created in a kitchen, heart and a bit of patience is all that matters.

So please explore and enjoy! You will find that my main dishes tend to stay on the healthful side. So if you are looking for things that are lower in calories, lower in fat and made from fresh ingredients, you should be able to find quite a few things here. With that said, I also have a sweet tooth and a love of baking. I believe that we all deserve a little splurge sometimes. So you will find an array of sweet treats on here as well. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you back soon!