I live in Astoria, Queens, with my husband Calvin, our two children, Daisy and Wyatt, and our cat, Nemesis. I’ve been a writer for the past 30 years, starting as a magazine writer and editor, then as an advertising copywriter, and now writing children’s television comedy and a cookbook/memoir.

I grew up in El Cerrado, Idaho, a town of 1,400 in the mountains, and came to New York City for college. Becoming a person who cooked regularly was never, ever my goal. In fact, I would go to some lengths to avoid cooking for anyone. Fortunately I married Calvin, who is a control freak and a wonderful cook, so for most of our marriage I was kept away from the kitchen yet still ate extremely well.

That changed in 2018, when Calvin got too busy to cook, and I had to step in and make dinner for my family. I made the kids cook one dinner a week each. I acted like I was teaching them things when mostly I was making them suffer with me as I learned to cook.

I let them off the hook during the pandemic, by which I mean to say, I wouldn’t let them cook during the pandemic because dinner was basically my only pleasure and I wouldn’t risk it on the kids.

Then, two months into the shut-down, my next-door neighbor went bonkers and began harassing and stalking my family. That’s where we are now.

I hope you enjoy the recipes and the malice!