About Me

Hi!
My name is Debby, and I live on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula of California. I am married, and have a grown son who has left our nest. I often refer to them as “my boys” or “my men”. They are my honest food critics, and very often my inspiration when I cook or bake. Like so many other bloggers, mine was originally started as a way to organize and share recipes with friends.

I’m not a professional recipe developer. Rather, most of my German recipes were taught to me by my Bavarian Mom. I have several favorite recipe websites and a collection of cookbooks, that inspire me to try new recipes. I always give credit to my recipe source, including any changes/adaptions I might’ve made. Culinary school isn’t in my repertoire, but trial and error have taught me kitchen tips and tricks. I’m always happy to share those with others.

I retired in June 2020. Now, I can spend more time focusing on making the multitude of recipes I’ve bookmarked over the years! Oh, and to travel!

My cooking influences:

My mother’s family owned restaurants, in Bavaria, for generations. “Mutti” was an excellent cook herself. As a little girl, I always wanted to own an Easy Bake Oven, but, my “Mutti” insisted that I learn how to use a real oven. That’s where my love of baking got started. I had to help my mom to cook for our family when I was as young as eight years old. At the time, I wasn’t happy about it. Little did I know that, as I matured, I would grow to love being in the kitchen whipping up savory and sweet creations.

Here I am, age 16 years old, in my mother’s Bavarian Delicatessen & Gift Shop

My father was Latino, and I can recall childhood trips to my “Nana’s” small ranch, where I’d watch her make homemade tortillas and refried beans. Hence, I love both Mexican and German food. I adore Italian cooking, and am learning how to make my own pasta. I’m at the infant stage of learning to make more Asian and Indian food, but I just keep trying new things.

My current style of cooking:

Over the years, I have eliminated buying most processed foods and box mixes. I admit, though, that sugar is something that has a home here. I love to make desserts, but I give a lot of it away– after just a taste, that is. I’ve become more aware of where my food is grown, and how my animal proteins were raised. I am fortunate that I live in one of the richest agricultural areas on the planet– the Salinas Valley of California. To sum up my cooking– most of my recipes are simple, unpretentious comfort home cooking. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I can figure out how to make ingredients, that I once bought at the grocery store– things like homemade jams, BBQ sauces, pasta and bread– and much more. Once in a while, I like to challenge myself by trying to recreate a restaurant-quality meal that looks and tastes gourmet.

Just jump in and do it:

I started this blog, in 2008, because I wanted to document the German recipes that my mother taught me to make. I learned them the same way her mother taught her– by watching, and never measuring. I
have family members and friends, who would ask me for the recipes and I didn’t have any written ones to share! I’ve spent time “eyeballing” and then measuring the ingredients, so that I can share with my readers how to make some of our favorite dishes like “Austrian Goulash“, or my mother’s famous German Potato Salad.

CONTACT ME: If I can answer any questions for you, my email contact is foodiewife@gmail.com.

OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION:

I owned 5 horses over a period of 35 years–A Quarter-horse, and then Arabians. I used to compete at horse shows, and later I became an avid trail rider. As my horses became old, and finally went to the pasture in the sky, I didn’t replace them.

Finally, my last horse– Savannah Sue— became too old to ride. She spent the last two years of her life living on a ranch and enjoying the retirement that she deserved. I lost her in June of 2010. I miss her
terribly, and my saddle and reins are put away for good.

My husband and I travel as often as we can. I was once a travel agent, for 15 years, and I’ve visited some exotic places from South America to Iceland. I’ve visited very few parts of the United States, so that is where most of our travels tend to lead us. We traveled to Bavaria, Austria, Switzerland, Northern Italy in October 2017 and April 2018. In the last three years, we’ve been on two Oceania Cruises and One Viking River Cruise. I admit, that Ocean Liners are my jam! I do post my travel photos (and recipes) on my Instagram Page, so please do follow me!

Thanks for stopping by this page, and for reading!