Hi, I’m Johanna
Recipe developer, mamma, food alchemist, backyard homesteader.
The Blog:
I am a self taught baker and cook… and I do it all from scratch without exact measurements. This sounds like an intimidating cooking method reserved for ” talented people.” What if I told you YOU are one of them. I’m here to reintroduce you to cooking, baking, ingredients, and your kitchen. Learn to follow your nose, your intuition, and your hands. You don’t need specialty products or bottled sauces. I will teach you how to improvise and cook with confidence. Join me for bread baking, one pot meals, endless salads, preserve making, the most delicious bakes, and more.
But wait…there’s more! Keep an eye on my “crash course cooking school” section. Here I’ll break down the method behind each recipe and provide helpful cooking tips to enable you to create your own unique recipe based off of what I’ve shared.. Become fearless and cook from scratch with confidence!
The Back Story:
This is the long-short story of a fast talking New Yorker schlepping into the wilds of New England with muck boots, chickens, and a passion for cooking from scratch.
I grew up in old world kitchens where women pride themselves on cooking using the same pot they brought from the old country. These cooks – my mother, grandmothers, and aunts, used the simplest of ingredients to create wholesome, yet lavish meals. In these kitchens, flour is measured based on the feeling in your fingers and soups taste like they touch your very soul. In these kitchens, no one taste tests their food, but relies on the sounds and aromas wafting from steaming pots. Water is forever bubbling soft murmurs, speaking to you, waiting for you to listen. This was my culinary school. This is old school, old world, and I was captivated.
However, my maiden voyage in the kitchen began alone. I got married and had to move away from the old simmering pots, the women who tended them, from New York, my home. My everything. I had to cook completely on my own. No recipe cards, no measurements. Just cook it until it looks right. I tried many times and failed. And yet, it never tasted like home.
The distance that separated me from those loving kitchens of my childhood allowed me a fresh perspective. I slowly began to rethink food and flavor. Rethink the way we eat. I learned to use what I had available to create unforgettable food, with new flavors and ingredients.
This is my new Kosher. My own little Kosher house on the prairie.
Fresh, healthy, simple ingredients. Beautiful food that takes what’s in season from my own backyard, the contents of my fridge, and a little help from my pantry. It doesn’t have to be a feast, it just has to be delicious. Let me show you reimagined delicious.
About Us & Our Homestead.
My husband and I have a vision: build a suburban homestead with chickens, fruit trees, vast vegetable gardens, and native plants. But we’re not full-time farmers and housewives. He’s a full-time engineer. I run my own business. We’re here to encourage others how to homestead on the side, the suburban way the do as much as you’re able way. Join our journey and plant vegetables and preserve the bounty like your Granny. Come. Dig deep alongside us and explore the small (and large!) ways you can launch your homestead journey.
Get in touch
I’m always happy to chat about cooking, how to homestead, new adventures and projects! Don’t hesitate to reach out! I can’t wait to hear from you!
