The beginning

As my very first blog post I wanted to tell everyone why I decided to make this blog. I am currently a second year student at The University of Georgia so this past year I had to make the big transition to finally living on my own. No freshman dorm or dining hall anymore. Just me, myself, and I to make sure the rent gets paid, the dishes get washed, and there's milk in the fridge. So suddenly I found myself on a college budget, living a busy schedule, and having to find a way to make sure I got fed.

Luckily, I come from a long line of cooking women in my family. My grandmother, Connie Crawford, is the best cook I have ever met. She taught my mom who then taught me. As a baby of the great depression era my grandmother grew up in a low income household. She learned how to make amazing dishes from scratch and how to get creative with what you did have in the pantry. I love when I get to spend time with her because I get to witness ways you can make nothing into something extraordinary.

As for me, my cooking career began at an earlier age than most. My parents work 9-5 jobs and I would watch my mom come home exhausted at 6:30 then have to put dinner together for all of us. I started helping my mom make dinner by making Hamburger Helpers and other easy to do meals. Once I learned the basics I found myself putting together dishes from pure creativity. I always felt that it was my responsibility to come home with good grades, respect my parents, and help out around the house. Lucky for me I enjoyed cooking and was proud that I could help my parents.

During the summer of 2011 I took classes and lived in Athens. I had a lot of 'free time' on my hands since I was only taking two classes. My roommate and boyfriend both do not cook and after eating out multiple nights in a row I realized that it was time for me to start cooking again. I began exploring different websites like Pinterest for recipe ideas which would then lead me to some amazing cooking blogs. I found blogs that matched my dilemma: how do I make nutritious, cheap, fast, and easy meals? Taking what I learned from my grandmother and mom, and combining that with the recipe ideas I began making some pretty darn good meals. I became hooked so this blog is meant for others to follow my cooking creations. Not only will I share what recipes I make but I will also give advice to other college students out there who are facing the same dilemma. And this is not just for college students it is for young couples on low budgets, single men who don't have a lady to cook for them, and for those busy mom's on the go who need help.

So enjoy the adventure and share your ideas with me!

Happy Cooking,
Caley

My grandmother with some of her granddaughters at our traditional tea party.