Happy Birthday, Kitchen / An Introduction

Welcome to Sweet Alchemies! Just about a year ago, my husband and I renovated the kitchen of what was then our new-to-us home. This anniversary seems a fitting time to begin my first blog - much of which will take place in the kitchen.

{Unsurprisingly, our pup too can often be found where the food is}

To say that we (being first-time homeowners) were daunted by the remodeling process would be a major understatement. A few weeks and a few thousand trips to IKEA later, we couldn't have been more thrilled with the results. 

{Kitchen - before}

{Kitchen - after}

One year later, I'm still in love. Now as when it was first completed, I find myself wandering into our kitchen simply because I enjoy being there. When I travel, it's one of the things I miss most about being home. It is, after all, where the magic happens!

As a classical musician, sharing things of beauty with an audience is my happy profession. Yet crafting things with my hands that my friends, my family, and I can all enjoy is a passion that doesn't end with making music. In cooking, too, I take great pleasure in a mindful adherence to process, in crafting something that satisfies my personal taste, and in sharing and savoring the (hopefully) delectable results with others. Music and cooking are, in my mind, the sweetest alchemies. And in my life, cooking provides welcome mind-clearing relief from the intensity that is par for the course for any performing musician.

In the decade since I worked as a production assistant at Martha Stewart Living Television, I hadn't, until now, felt the urge to share my love of great food and its conscientious preparation with anyone other than friends and family in my own home. (Which I did. And continue to do. A lot.) While this space will be primarily about cooking and baking, I'll periodically post about other things that interest me.

So with that, welcome! I hope you'll enjoy this peek at my favorite thing to do offstage.