Hello! Welcome to YummyMummyKitchen.com. I'm Marina - mommy to two amazing little girls, wife, and creator of yummy recipes. I started this blog in 2009 as a way to document and share my favorite recipes with friends. I've had so much fun connecting with you bloggers, mommies, and foodies from all over the world. Thank you for reading and for all of your nice comments!
Basically what it comes down to is that I like to make stuff. For as long as I can remember I loved crafts, baking, and photography. In high school, art class was my favorite. (I was also a foodie nerd who spent weekends reading cookbooks and Zagat guides). At Westmont College I earned my Bachelor's degree in elementary education and art. I spent a semester of college in Florence, Italy studying Renaissance Art History, taking cooking classes, taking pictures, and searching for the best gelato in town. I went on to teach elementary school and children's art classes; baking, painting, sewing, and crafting when I had time. Cooking had always been one of my favorite forms of art.
After starting my own family, cooking became the art form I was most passionate about, and a necessity. I have made cooking homemade meals for my family a priority and had fun creating healthy dishes that are easy and beautiful. The girls love cooking with me, and I love that they are experiencing how wonderful it feels to create something delicious. Cooking makes me happy - like a Yummy Mummy :)
Aren't they the cutest?
Not long after I started Yummy Mummy I submitted a recipe to Cooking Light's Ultimate Reader Recipe contest. I was shocked when my recipe was one of 12 chosen out of 5,000. I had a blast cooking in the magazine test kitchens in Birmingham even though I didn't win the grand prize. Really truly amazing to get to go behind-the-scenes at a magazine like that and spend a weekend with the editors.
Since then I've had more recipes featured in Cooking Light and other media, like The Martha Stewart Show, Saveur.com, Gourmet Magazine Online, Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn, and more. I also write for Food & Home Magazine.
Teaching my kids to respect and appreciate real food and where it comes from is important to me. So we talk about what to buy and cook each season and the girls help me cook it.
Oh, and we have a small backyard flock of chickens too.
For the eggs, not the meat.
