The Beginning
When we met in 2012 (at a mall kiosk), our greatest culinary achievements were egg-in-the-hole and cookbook chili. We both lived at home, worked a ton, and preferred made-to-order gas station food.
As young people in love do, we spent as much time as possible together, and soon grew sick and tired of fast fried food. We began to make little changes, marinating chicken breasts to cook up with steam bags of broccoli.
By the time we moved to our apartment, we were making our own marinades, re-purposing rotisserie chickens, and posting some really ugly photos of our food with pride.
The Apartment
A 2-bedroom white-walled little paradise. It wasn't much, but it was ours. Let me transport you.
Imagine you are standing in front of a kitchen sink. Decently sized, stainless steel, with a dispose-all. Now reach your hand 6 inches to your left. There's your dishwasher! It's about half the size that you'd expect, and will flood the kitchen many times.
Now, without leaving your spot, turn a neat 180 degrees. There it is! The electric stove. It will never heat evenly, every burner is on a permanent and unique slant. Oh, and as you'll find out once you get to know your sweet neighbors with the cute baby,
the bottom tray in the oven is gone.
Despite it all, we learned to love food and cooking here for the next 2 years.
Gram's House
In late 2017, we left the apartment behind. Gram, the matriarch of Mrs. Casper's family, had been in and out of the hospital. Rather than have the "A Home for Mom" conversation, we offered to renovate the upstairs room at Gram's and move in.
After a month of tearing up carpet, replacing insulation, and many trips to the trash at both the house and the apartment, we and our 2 cats became Gram's roommates.
Gram's kitchen was where Mrs. Casper first remembers love and food coming together. Since those days, there's a new stove, and new paint on the walls, but the double sink (no dispose-all), where every kid in the family stood and did dishes, and the heavy wooden table, where every adult played cards, remain the same.
Counter space and storage space were quickly overwhelmed as we brought both households together, but our love of cooking has continued to grow.
Here & Now
Since the move, we've hosted our first Thanksgiving, our first Christmas breakfast, and our first Easter brunch.
We've learned what changes a grandmother needs to enjoy a meal.
We've learned how to cook on a gas range again.
We've (somewhat) learned to clean as we go without the crutch of a dishwasher.
Most importantly, throughout this entire journey, we've learned to love food and the process of making it. Picking out new spices, getting farm-fresh eggs, and taking the first whiff of a freshly-cracked wheel of cheese are the types of thrills we seek.
And now, it's time for us to share our recipes, our stories, our food. Thanks for joining us.
