Welcome! I’m Alyona, people refer to me as a “From Scratch Cook”.
Perhaps that title fits best, for what I do. I make recipes that work for the whole family.
I restock my freezer with sourdough breads weekly using fresh milled flour (making my own wheat flour with the help of a grain mill), make all of our own dressings, including mayonnaise, hearty breakfasts (raising boys here), and comforting meals.
Cooking every day has taught me to make quick and easy meals that are nourishing, kid-friendly, and somewhat healthy.
We are a Ukrainian family, raising our 6 children on a 44-acre homestead, homeschool, gather with like-minded believers, practice hospitality, and our family comes first before any kind of business endeavors.
My Story:
Being an “influencer” was not something I dreamed of.
I was just a homestyle cook, making food that my family loved. I heard of a thing called “blogging” and in 2015 I started a food blog as a way to share my moms traditional Ukrainian recipes and post my all-time favorites.
I guess you can think of it as a digital cookbook, a space where I documented recipes.
I started this blog when my oldest was in kindergarten. I didn’t really know what I was doing. I had to learn photography, SEO, and publishing. However, I had the best support (my family) to cheer me on and encourage me to keep posting.
Needless to say, I was getting great feedback from readers like you and people who would make my recipes, and that’s what kept me going.
My love for cooking started at a young age when I reached a Cooks illustrated cookbook and attempted to make Spanish rice. It was a total flop but I think I was like 10.
My mother is a fantastic cook and was great friends with a chef who catered Ukrainian weddings and worked at a bakery. She used to make Nina’s Italian fruit cake for birthdays and it was so good!
I remember making a stack of crepes all on my own at about age 15. My moms food is very flavorful so, I had lots of flavors instilled into me.
I also loved cooking class in middle school and when I married my husband Alex, my real cooking school started—I had to make food for my family on a daily basis.
I had to learn how to shop smart, use up my ingredients, figure out foods that my family loved, and had to train myself how to accurately measure ingredients and convert recipes because I come from a lineage of cooks that eye-balled things.
Around 5 years into blogging, my diligence paid off when my husband was able to come home and leave his corporate job. Our blog became a full-time gig, and hundreds of thousands of hungry people were visiting our site monthly.
I never imagined such privilege. We strive to live a simple life and moved into an old farmhouse so that we can be debt-free. My husband and I work hard, and together we make a great team:)
We currently live off-grid on beautiful pastures, and my husband loves to go hunting. We try to enjoy life to the fullest.
Today, my oldest is driving… Doesn’t time go by so quickly?
Culinary School
As a way to explain and share proper cooking techniques, I went to culinary school (I don’t know how I had the capacity to do so)! But we are capable of doing more than we can think, if we spend our time wisely.
Culinary school was actually pretty easy. I think it’s because I had many years of cooking experience making food for my family. So, overall, it was a good experience for me.
I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America as a Pro Chef.
Before I went to Culinary school, my husband was in awe that I developed many Restaurant recipes successfully and would share them with his coworkers.
Ukrainian Cuisine
Ukrainians are very serious when it comes to food, they say you will never leave a Ukrainian wedding hungry and I believe it.
Our cuisine is very hearty, flavorful, and yet simple. It’s known for its red borscht (a well-known beet soup), dumplings, and meat and potato dishes. We like our whole grains, vegetables (especially beets, cabbage, and potatoes), and sour cream and cottage cheese.
True Fact: I catered all the desserts for someones wedding before all on my own (gasp) it was good though. I also helped cater a Mennonite wedding with a good friend.
Being part of church functions, hosting, catering, and visiting so many different churches and church suppers, has molded my cooking in ways that I could have never imagined.
I enjoy every aspect of cooking, and challenges only make you stronger.
Faith:
My favorite Bible verse when it comes to food is “Nothing is better for a man than he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. Ecclesiastes 2:24
There is a special gratification and joy when you make your food from scratch, to me that’s worth all the labor knowing that I saved money, created a meal with my hands, and used wholesome ingredients to nourish my loved ones.
I love it when my children surround me and ask what I’m making. When canning season comes, my daughter helps with joy, knowing we will have beautiful jars of food on the shelf.
Everyday recipes are what I’m about. I want to encourage you on your cooking journey from the recipes I make at home, right from my kitchen. The recipes my family loves
-Alyonas Cooking
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