About

Who Am I?

Illustration of a woman with long brown hair holding a mug of coffee
Me, after coffee. 😉

My name is Christina. Nice to meet you! I’m a writer, mom & home cook. I believe knowing how to make yourself a good meal is empowering.

During my childhood learning to make ends meet while still making satisfying meals was just the way things were done. We didn’t have much, but we felt like we had plenty. That’s the power of food and knowing how to use what’s on hand.

My family saved even the smallest bits of leftovers so that they could be combined into a “mix up bowl” and make a meal for someone. We made lasagna with cottage cheese because we couldn’t afford ricotta. And if my brother and I wanted a stick of gum (a treat) my grandmother would split one stick three ways – 1/3 for me, 1/3 for my brother, and that last bit for Nana, because she liked chewing gum too.

You may think these experiences made us kids feel deprived, but just the opposite was true. We felt taken care of and empowered. Frugal living, knowing how to stretch a meal, and understanding which food substitutions will do goes a long way. To this day I never worry about putting food on the table because I know I can make a meal using whatever is available.

I started Rustic Family Recipes in March 2020 as a way to connect with others and share the food I love. I’m a pretty introverted person so you won’t find photos of me everywhere. I’m not interested in being internet-famous, I just like making and sharing good food. But in case you’re wondering what I look like, I added an illustration of me. That’s pretty much what I look like after I’m caffeinated for the day. 😉

I hope you enjoy my recipes!

My Culinary Background

I’m a home cook who learned how to make good food the old fashioned way: in my grandmother’s kitchen. We made everything from scratch not only because we had to, but because that’s the way Nana had always done things.

I’ve taken many cooking classes over the years. There’s always something new to learn and I love trying new techniques (especially when the end result is edible!). I’ve taken classes on Mexican, Indian, French and Italian cuisine. As far as what you’ll find on this blog, I mostly share American, Italian and Mexican recipes because that is what I make most often at home.

Eventually I used this culinary knowledge to teach cooking classes in Connecticut. I planned each class and taught people how to make everything from apple strudel to saffron rice. In grad school, I even wrote an entire food curriculum that taught world history through cooking classes.

My Favorite Recipes

Pile of homemade beignets with powdered sugar

Beignets Recipe

Top view of pumpkin muffins in a baking tin with nuts sprinkled around.

Pumpkin Muffins

Apple cobbler in a pie pan with ice cream

Apple Cobbler Recipe

Overhead shot of Honey Vanilla Challah on cutting board

Honey Vanilla Challah Bread

What is Rustic Family Recipes About?

This blog is about dessert and breakfast recipes that anyone can make. This site has only been around for a couple years so I don’t have as many recipes (yet) as larger sites, but all of the ones I have published are delicious!

I really like mug cakes. And mug recipes in general for that matter.

I sometimes use “fancy” ingredients. While most of my recipes are fairly simple, I occasionally incorporate less common ingredients. We’re talking butterfly pea powder for blue velvet cake, or green matcha for Grinch cookies. I also like to make “fancy” cakes for special occasions, cause nothing says mama loves you like a cake. 🙂

I like to make Starbucks copycat drinks. So I can indulge my coffee-habit without spending a fortune.

My recipes are what I make for my family and we love them. But every family is different and I encourage you to substitute spices, cooking oils and make other changes that will please your taste buds.

Popular Recipes

A spoon scooping vanilla cake out of a mug

Vanilla Mug Cake

Side view of a cinnamon dolce latte on a white plate.

Cinnamon Dolce Latte

A slice of strawberry rhubarb pie is lifted from a pie pan.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Rice pudding in mason jars topped with cinnamon

Easy Rice Pudding with Cooked Rice

Want to Connect?

If you’d like to keep in touch the best way is to subscribe to my email list, which will send you an email when new recipes are published.

Although I do have profiles on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, I don’t update them every day. I would rather be digging in the dirt, reading a book, or cooking in my kitchen. Maybe that’s a crazy thing to say, but in an era where our attention is pulled in so many directions, I try to be intentional about where I spend my energy.

You can also see my videos on YouTube. I am not on X (Twitter) or TikTok and never will be. I find both of those platforms to be too rife with negativity and unhealthy things that I don’t want in my head. 🙂

Why Is There a Chicken On Your Social Profiles?

A photo of a Brahma hen

On most of my social media profiles I use the image of a chicken. Why? Well, because this particular chicken was one of my favorite pets. Her name was Tricksy and she was a Brahma hen who came to me when she was older. Even though she didn’t lay eggs anymore, she was a valued member of my flock. Tricksy had the sweetest personality and was so calm I taught her to walk on a leash and 100% considered making her a therapy chicken that visits kids in schools. (Yes, I’m a little eccentric sometimes lol.)

The photo I use is one I snapped while carrying her around the garden one spring. All the other hens just wanted to be digging in the dirt, but Tricksy wanted to be carried. Sadly, she passed a couple years ago after getting sick in the winter. I still think of her fondly though and that’s why I use a beautiful photo of her on my profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use your photo or recipe?

Thank you for asking. A lot of time and effort goes into creating and testing recipes, to say nothing of taking the photos and writing the posts. Please do not use any of my content on your website, Facebook page, or any social media profile. Thank you so much for respecting the hard work that goes into creating the content on this site.

Can you tell me how to modify one of your recipes for my dietary preferences?

I wish I could! Alas, there are only so many hours in the day and I am not an expert on dietary preferences like gluten free, keto, low-carb etc. However, you are welcome to modify one of my recipes for yourself and I’d love to hear how it turns out.

Can you convert your recipes to metric measurements for me?

Alas, I cannot. I wish I had the time! I live in the US so all my recipes are made using standard units of measurement for my area. Thankfully the wonders of technology make it easy for you to convert recipes to metric. If you google “u.s. standard to metric conversion chart” a ton of helpful resources come up.

Why are there ads on your site?

I struggled with the idea of putting ads on my blog. Ultimately, I decided to add them to help offset the cost of running this little site. I do my best to have as few ads as possible. Even though I run Rustic Family Recipes “for fun” there are still countless hours spent testing recipes, editing photos, and writing posts. Plus, have you seen how expensive groceries are these days? Goodness!

In addition to supporting this site, every month I donate a portion of my ad revenue to One Tree Planted. So by reading this blog not only are you making it possible for me to continue sharing recipes, but you’re also doing something good for the planet.

Thank You For Reading

This site is relatively new and I’m grateful that you stopped by my neck of the virtual woods. If you like one of my recipes, please share them with your friends. I’m thankful for every reader and hope you will enjoy this little blog.