Celebrating the joy food brings to life

I'm Lynn Kaufman, and I am obsessed about food! Being a retired culinary instructor plus dietitian, I have plenty of adventures with cooking to share. Sharing my time between small town USA and Chicago… I've been working for years on making cooking fun and easy to learn. Follow my recipes for easy, step by step, instructions!

Keep reading for more about me and my adventures with food!

Where did my love for cooking begin? Was it in college taking food classes, working on my dietetic degree or helping my mom prepare holiday meals? Was it teaching thousands of high school students the basics of food preparation for 17 years? Or was it when I made flour and water cookies for my father at the age of 5… which he ate with gusto? All I know is the absolute joy I feel every time I try a new recipe, take a first bite of a new dish or the joy on the face of a person I have taught to successfully cook a food from scratch. This is what makes cooking worthwhile!   
“Do you like to cook?” is what many people will ask me. I respond with “I don’t like to cook… but love to cook!” is my common response.    
Have I always cooked well? I honestly can say no. Learning to cook is a process. I remember trying to surprise my father with preparing a cheese omelet one Sunday morning during my teenage years. He opened the family room door to be greeted by the aroma of Limburger cheese! Unfortunately, he hated limburger, but this smelly cheese was always a refrigerator staple growing up. Did I know the difference in the cheeses? Apparently not! He ate it just the same!  
Are my recipes always healthy? Being a dietitian, many expect everything I eat to be “super” healthy. I do have some family history of heart disease and two children following gluten free regimes, so I do alter recipes to accommodate these needs. Do I always? Honestly, no. I have food vices. I love cheese and flavor!  
So here I begin… or WE begin… I always ask my Foods 1 students day 1,  “What experience do you have preparing food?” Many would respond that they can barely operate a microwave and some would have extensive experience. Whatever your level of cooking is today… hopefully, we can take this journey together. Follow me and you too will enjoy the craziness of what’s cooking in Lynnies’ Kitchen.  I look forward to your comments and questions…  Let’s cook!

Of course I enjoy a great glass of wine too! Usually you can find my husband and I visiting wineries throughout the country, tasting their varieties and eating the foods they have to offer. I even make wine too… at an amateur level of course! Love the growing and wine making process! Even have won a few awards in Illinois too… So proud!!

Publications

Yes, we are! We have been featured in both Taste of Home magazine and Food Network magazine. Check out our quotes below!