Inspiration in a cup – Welcome to Cooking While Caffeinated

When I have a bright kitchen idea, coffee is usually a key player.

I’ve been told on multiple occasions to start a blog so here we go:
In my family coffee is a way of life, and a productive day hasn’t truly started until you’re on your third cup. This is usually when, if I’m home in VT visiting the family, my mom and I decide to do something like dismantle and smoke a 20lb turkey for her birthday, or concoct a triple chocolate cake for dad’s birthday. When I’m at home in MA just cooking for my husband this is also when I will send him a text and say, “you should probably invite your friends over for dinner. I may have gone over-board.”

Growing up I had no interest in food other than to eat it. Since I came from a long line of inventive and kitchen savvy men and women this was kind of a disappointment. I was known for meandering into my friends’ houses around dinner time, or sticking my head into the fridge after school, and being able to eat 3x my weight in junk food, but other than the occasional baking project with buddies I never actually contributed to the cause.

In 2005 a perfect storm hit: The hours I spent watching cooking shows finally sunk in, and I met a cute boy that I wanted to impress (it worked, I married him 5 years later). So, I ventured into the kitchen to do something other than roll out and decorate sugar cookies at Christmas time. Since then I’ve become mostly fearless in the kitchen as long as I have my trusty caffeine kick and the ability to swear at whatever I’m making if it’s not cooperating. I’ll be sharing adventures, recipes, and photos here and hopefully it’ll be a fun experience for all. Thanks for stopping by.