About

How I Discovered My Love for Cooking

I grew up in a small town in Michigan where my parents owned a local diner. From the time I was old enough to see over the counter, I was in that kitchen watching pancakes flip, bacon sizzle, and pies come out of the oven golden and perfect. My dad handled the grill, my mom did all the baking, and even as a kid, I was fascinated by how they could turn simple ingredients into food that made people happy.

But here's the funny thing—I didn't actually cook much at home growing up. We were always at the diner, and when we finally got home at night, the last thing anyone wanted to do was cook another meal. We ate a lot of leftovers from the restaurant and quick sandwiches thrown together in ten minutes.

It wasn't until I moved to Portland after college that I really started cooking for myself. I was working long hours at a marketing firm, living in a tiny apartment, and missing home terribly. One weekend, feeling particularly homesick, I called my mom and asked her to walk me through making her apple pie. It was a disaster—the crust was tough, the filling was runny—but something clicked for me that day. I realized that cooking was my connection to home, to family, to all those memories from the diner.

From there, I was hooked. I started experimenting with recipes, calling my parents for their diner classics, and slowly building my confidence in the kitchen. Cooking became my way to unwind after stressful workdays and eventually, after I got married and had kids, it became how I created our own family traditions.

Why JarBaker Exists

The name JarBaker comes from my grandmother's old habit of storing everything in mason jars. She'd organize her entire pantry with jars of flour, sugar, dried beans, homemade jams, pickled vegetables—you name it. When I was trying to come up with a name for this website, I kept thinking about those jars lining her shelves and how they represented preparation, comfort, and home cooking at its finest.

I started JarBaker about three years ago when I realized I'd accumulated hundreds of recipes over the years—some from my parents' diner, some I'd developed myself, some I'd adapted from friends and family. My husband kept telling me I should share them somewhere instead of just keeping them in my messy collection of notebooks and index cards scattered around our kitchen.

This website is for anyone who wants reliable, homestyle recipes without the fuss. It's for busy parents trying to get dinner on the table between work and bedtime. It's for people who love comfort food but don't have hours to spend cooking. It's for home cooks who want recipes they can actually trust. I share weeknight dinners that come together quickly, family-friendly meals, desserts that make ordinary days feel special, and the kind of American comfort food that brings people together. Everything here is designed to be approachable, using ingredients you can find at any regular grocery store.

How I Create and Test My Recipes

Every single recipe on JarBaker gets made in my regular home kitchen, usually multiple times before I ever publish it. I don't have professional equipment or a fancy setup. I cook on a standard stove with pots and pans I've collected over the years, and I shop at the same stores you probably do—mostly Safeway and Trader Joe's.

My process is pretty simple. I'll start with an idea, whether it's something I remember from my parents' diner, a dish I tried somewhere and want to recreate, or just a craving I want to satisfy. I make it once, taste it, and figure out what needs adjusting. Maybe it needs more seasoning, a different cooking temperature, or clearer instructions. Then I make it again. Sometimes three or four times until it's exactly right.

I'm also really careful about writing instructions that make sense. I remember how confusing some recipes were when I first started cooking, so I try to explain everything clearly. If there's a technique that might be tricky or a step where things could go wrong, I break it down so anyone can follow along. My goal is that you can make one of my recipes successfully the very first time you try it, without any surprises or frustrations.

Running JarBaker as a Family

While I handle all the recipe development and writing, JarBaker is really a family effort. My husband Jake takes care of all the technical side of the website—the hosting, the design updates, keeping everything running smoothly when something breaks. He also manages our social media accounts because I barely understand how those platforms work.

Our two kids, who are nine and twelve now, have become my official taste-testers. They're brutally honest, which is exactly what I need. If they won't eat something or if they ask for it again the next week, that tells me everything I need to know about whether a recipe is truly family-friendly. Jake will give me detailed feedback on flavors and textures, and together they help me understand whether something is truly working or if I need to go back and adjust it.

We've developed a good rhythm. I cook and create, Jake handles the behind-the-scenes technical work, and the kids keep us honest about what real families actually want to eat. It's a team effort, and I honestly couldn't do this without their support and input.

My Commitment to You

The most important thing to me is that you can trust the recipes on JarBaker. I know what it's like to waste time and money on a recipe that doesn't work, and I never want that to happen with something from my website. These are recipes I genuinely make for my own family, and I want them to succeed in your kitchen just like they do in mine.

You won't find overly complicated techniques or intimidating ingredient lists here. What you will find is honest, straightforward cooking that delivers great flavor without requiring culinary school training. Whether you're an experienced cook or someone just learning your way around the kitchen, these recipes are designed to be achievable and rewarding.

How This Site Stays Running

I believe in being transparent about how JarBaker operates. The website earns money through advertisements and affiliate links. When you see ads while browsing or when I recommend products and you make a purchase through those links, it helps support all the work that goes into creating, testing, and maintaining this site. It's what allows me to keep all the recipes free and available to anyone who wants to use them.

Let's Cook Together

Thank you so much for visiting JarBaker. Whether you're searching for tonight's dinner, planning something special for the weekend, or just looking for new ideas to try, I hope you find recipes here that become favorites in your own home. Browse around, pick something that sounds good, and let me know how it turns out. I'm cheering for you every step of the way. Happy cooking!