How My Cozy Cooking Journey Started

Hi! I'm Nina. I love cooking and recently I’ve decided to start doing it as a hobby instead of a necessity.

How My Cozy Cooking Journey Really Began

I live a fast life, I work every day, and for some reason everything always had to be quick. But then I realized I needed to slow down. I needed to take things calmer because I felt like I was losing myself. I went on social media trying to find good recipes, but guess what? EVERYTHING was “quick meal”, “this takes 5 minutes”, “meal prep for a whole month in 30 minutes”.

And I just asked myself… "where’s the love? Where’s the passion?"

That's why I decided to do it myself. To cook the basics from scratch, with love and intention. But then I had a new problem… if you want to call it that way, I spend hours and sometimes DAYS cooking one, let me tell you this again, ONE meal. And then what? Do I have to do all that again for the next meal? OMG that would drive anybody crazy.

So I created my own method, where nothing gets wasted, and you always have food ready. You mix and match, you create, and the best part is you don’t have to cook every day unless you want to. It’s all about being smart with what you make and making the best out of it.

Let's talk about growing your ingredients

Please don’t freak out. I know this sounds wild. It takes days, months, OMG even YEARS sometimes. But that’s the beauty of it. Enjoying what your garden gives you. Cooking in season. Having something fresh and new every day.

And don’t worry, I’m going to show you how I do everything so you can recreate it. Just imagine waking up and seeing your tomato plant gave you fruit. Imagine the dishes you can make, old classics or brand new things you create from scratch.

And don’t panic, soon I’ll talk about how to create your own recipes too.

If you’ve never grown a fruit or veggie, don’t worry. Luckily for you, I’m a Crazy Plant Lover, and I’ll teach you everything I know. You don’t even need to go buy a plant. With the fruits and veggies you buy at the store, you can grow new plants basically for free. It’s honestly so beautiful, I promise you’ll fall in love the same way I did.

How about materials?

I am STRONG, like really strong, about being minimalistic in the kitchen. Less tools means less cleaning, and I absolutely hate cleaning, so trust me… avoid all the one-purpose items.

Like for real, why would you want a garlic mincer, an apple slicer, a strawberry cutter, etc… if a good knife can do the same job, sometimes even faster?

Here’s what I always keep in my kitchen:

• A chef knife and a utility knife

• A wooden board (DO NOT USE PLASTIC)

• Max 2 big pans and 1 small and same with the pots.

• Tweezers are your best friends

• Wooden and/or silicon cooking utensils

• Measuring cups (including the spoons)

• Your phone or tablet for setting up timers, checking recipes, playing cozy music.

• Kitchen towels

But... what if I am a total beginner?

I was too at one point. So what? We learn.

I’m here to make everything as simple as possible because cozy cooking is meant to be enjoyable, not frustrating. This is supposed to be a hobby you love, something that makes you happy. And honestly, after all these years, my happiness has only grown.

As I promised, you’ll be able to open your fridge, look at your garden, and decide what to cook without searching online. My recipes will explain the ingredients, not just list them. You’ll understand what flavors come from where. Like why adding black pepper while cooking tastes completely different than adding it at the end.

This isn’t just about putting ingredients together. It’s about falling in love with what you make.

A little note

I don’t use ChatGPT to write my texts. I write exactly what I think. I want to be as human as possible so you can follow the recipes in a real way. I won’t post on a strict schedule. I’ll only share when something I make feels special enough to share.

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If you want to stay longer, please consider joining. It’s free. I’ll send updates when new recipes come out, and you can join the cozy cooking community where we share dishes, ask questions, and just enjoy this slow, beautiful way of cooking.

If you’re starting your own cozy cooking journey, I promise it gets easier and way more fun.

Thank you so much for reading.

See you soon,

Nina Meek 🍄🤎