About

Cooking begins with simple ingredients.

When I travel, I don’t just see a place, I taste it. I remember meals as much as anything else. A small café, a market stall, a long lunch that becomes the best part of the day. The food tells you something about where you are.

Somewhere along the way, I started bringing that home with me. Not just in memory, but in cookbooks. I find them in small bookstores, tucked into markets, often when I’m not even looking. Each one holds a piece of that place.

The Cookbook Shelf is my way of returning to those moments.

I cook from the books I’ve collected, choosing recipes that bring me back to where I found them. Sometimes they turn out exactly as expected. Sometimes I adjust, using what I can find here. But each time, I’m reminded of the place, the food, and the feeling of being there.

I now live in Luxembourg, after moving here with my husband. Cooking has always been part of my life. I grew up cooking alongside my mom. She was creative and loved to cook, and so much of what I do in the kitchen still comes from her. Later, I spent time working in a professional kitchen in Chicago, and over the years, cooking has remained part of the rhythm of home.

This is a way of keeping track of it all. The places, the cookbooks, the meals, and the memories tied to them. Something to look back on, and something to pass along.

You can also follow along on Instagram at @mslizardlux.