When I started this blog I really had no idea what I was getting myself into; I just wanted to write, and so many of my friends and family members were requesting recipes that it seemed like the perfect place to combine my foodie self and my literary self. I didn’t expect to find so many new blogger friends–I am inspired by their posts, stories, photos, and lives. I have learned so much about friendship in the last couple years of my life. I’ve realized what it means to me, felt the pain of losing it, and also felt the joy of finding it in unexpected places.

So, back to the blog. The name “Cook on a Whim” was inspired by the very real fact that I am a creative home cook who is known for whipping things up “on a whim.” I am not a meal planner. I am a wizard with leftovers and many meals are created last minute based on what I have in my pantry or fridge—and based on what I feel like eating. My appetite for food, cooking, and all things culinary was inspired early on by my father and has never stopped growing. With a strong French influence, my meals are simple, classic, and unique. I love baking and sweets, too, but I am a salty girl. My favorite: Lays potato chips, which I called “white chips” when I was little and my dad and I still do.

A Virginia girl at heart, I have traveled coast to coast, as well as visited far off lands including Dubai, Afghanistan, Turkey, and St. Lucia. I find inspiration everywhere I go and love bringing new ideas home to my kitchen.

I was raised on a 75-acre farm with three older brothers, a younger sister and brother, and lots of animals. I am now living in suburbia. My shy, homebody, hermit-like side sometimes struggles with the very social aspect of living in a neighborhood like this, but when I see my kids outside getting into mischief with their buddies, I smile and feel grateful they get to grow up in a place like this. I will always be a country girl, and someday I will have a little piece of land with a big garden and chickens (farm fresh eggs? Yes, please). But for now, this is just right. 
In December, 2014 I graduated with honors from George Mason University, where I majored in English, minored in History, and loved every minute. The magnitude and significance of this is that I never graduated high school—something I was ashamed of for the longest time and something only a very small handful of people know. My family basically exploded my senior year, and I was emotionally abandoned. Thank goodness for my grandparents is all I have to say about that. So, when I finally decided I was ready to erase that terrible year, I went for it. Nothing like throwing a little Summa Cum Laude at your past to make yourself feel validated. I am so proud of my accomplishment—I did it. All by myself with lots of cheerleaders, including my friends, family, and kids. I am so proud of myself. Being the best mother I can be to my kids and receiving my Bachelor’s degree are two things I did not learn from my childhood, two things nobody taught me how to do, and two things that nobody can ever take away from me.

I have written several articles for a D.C. based online food magazine, DCfud, as well as freelanced for The Fauquier Times-Democrat newspaper. I am currently guest-blogging for BeFunky.com in Portland, Oregon and I’m excited to see where it takes me. I hope to break onto the food writing scene someday soon, but until then I will write, cook, and live (and maybe be an English teacher). Until then, I better keep my day job: Branch Manager at Sonabank, where I get to work with some fantastic people and participate in fun community events.

I look forward to sharing my food adventures, childhood memories, travels, and kitchen experiences with you all.

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