I am Nataliia, a passionate home cook with over 23 years of experience in the kitchen, residing in the US and finding joy in preparing ingredient-focused recipes that celebrate global diverse cuisines and flavors.
My recipes show how much potential a single ingredient may have, traveling from one cuisine to another.
I was born and raised in Ukraine and my life took a significant turn when my last living parent suddenly passed away.
At that age of 21, after my dad suddenly passed away, I decided to leave my home country and more to the US.
Since then, I have lived in 3 different countries and 3 different states.
How my recipe blog started
As a stay-at-home mom, I found myself in the kitchen every single day, making meals for our family. But then, I realized we were caught in a loop of rotating between beef, poultry, pork, pasta, a handful of grains, and the same rotation of fruits and vegetables.
It felt like were eating the same stuff all the time. But then, I remembered all the countries I traveled, and lived in, the international cooking TV shows I have been watching, and all the cooking books I own. I also remembered how lucky I am to be able to cook with so many different ingredient all year around. Growing up in Ukraine, it was different and fresh produce was simply not available during winter months. That's when we were getting creative in the kitchen.
So I thought: "What if I focus on learning about one ingredient at a time and creating an array of dishes from global cuisines around it, and share the journey in my blog?"
I share the recipes that I've enjoyed the most while traveling or living abroad; many are inspired by international cooking books, specific ingredient, magazines and other bloggers; some recipes are simply my family's favorites, while others have been shared by my friends and relatives from various corners of the world.
Before sharing a recipe on my blog, it goes through a meticulous process. I test it multiple times, ensure I select on the best ingredients and substitutions readily available in the US. Then, I thoughtfully adapt to ensure that every home cook can recreate it easily, without the need finding the specialized equipment or rare ingredients.
I always provide my readers with ingredient recommendations, substitutions, step-by-step images, general recipe information and and useful tips.
I believe, that cooking the meals from different countries using a variety of ingredients can help us better understand the world around us, break the monotony of daily meals, teach the kids about ingredients, nutritious food, geography, respect different cultures and so much more.
Creating international recipes can be quite challenging. I often have to search for rare ingredients and their best available substitutions, or tweak the cooking methods to preserve authenticity.
For instance, when making my grandma's Ukrainian holubtsi, I adjust the recipe to be cooked on the stove instead of the traditional clay oven called "pich".
I like how focusing on a specific ingredient challenges me to think outside the box in the kitchen. How many different ways can you use the beets, for example? Soup, salad, risotto, pancakes, waffles, pasta sauce— so many ways you can use this not-so-popular root vegetable.
I like to learn deeply about each ingredient and discover the best methods of preparation, storage, and traditional dishes associated with it.
What type of recipe you will find here
On my blog, you'll find the ingredient-focused recipes from different parts of the world, as well as dishes inspired by my travels and my family's preferences.
But the most dear to me are:
1). Traditional Ukrainian recipes - Being born and raised in Ukraine, Authentic Ukrainian recipes hold a special place in my heart.
My mom was a great and very creative cook. She taught me how to cook. I learned so much from her. She had a lot of international cook books, and even when some ingredients were hard to find, she would get creative to find the best substitutions with the limited ingredients available at that time.
Sometimes, she would find a way to grow the uncommon for our region vegetable or fruit in her garden, just to explore new ingredients and recipes. When she passed away, I was 13 years old and that's when I started to cook by myself.
I still call my aunt in Ukraine to ask about the recipes I want to make, especially the old ones I didn't have time to learn from my mom.
2). European recipes - Having lived in Germany for 2 years and Poland for 1 year, and having traveled to Italy, Spain, Czechia, Austria, Macedonia, and other European countries, I've been fortunate to experience their cuisines firsthand.
Those delicious foods made me want to learn how to cook them at home, and I am working on expanding my collections of European recipes.
I am inspired to help others to prepare dishes like traditional Italian risotto or lasagna with confidence and ease, following my detailed step-by-step directions with images.
3). Mastering ingredient-focused recipes: the skill inherited from my mom - the ability to create a lot of different recipes around one specific ingredient. Growing up, we did not have a wide variety of foods. Summers were more diverse, but winters were limited. Yet, my mom was able to consistently create a variety of delicious recipes with a limited selection of foods. To honor that, I learn in-depth about one ingredient at a time and create as many recipes as possible around it to show its incredible potential
4). Kid-friendly recipes - Additionally, I understand the challenges of cooking for kids, as I have a 4-year-old son.
I strive to create kid-friendly recipes that are healthy and easy to make.
Sharing recipes that my son loves and requests seconds of, such as pasta with lentils and veggies, or pasta e piselli is my way of helping other parents in providing a variety of delicious and nutritious global meals for their children.
5) How to recipes - this isn't about just recipes. Here, I share the essential cooking techniques such as making a chicken mince using a knife, learning the best methods of freezing fresh ingredients for later use, such as papaya or spinach, and much more.
Thank you for learning more about me.
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