Good food belongs to everyone. Especially when it’s made with love. ~ The Food Civilian
Welcome…
I am so glad you’re here! I am Melissa Knighton, wife of one amazing guy, mother to 5 fantastic children, mother-in-law to three magnificent spouses, and grammie to one very adorable grandson. I live in a large suburb of Phoenix, Arizona and am a former high school French teacher and Academic Decathlon coach. My cultural background is pretty diverse: Amish-Mennonite from Dad’s side and Chilean-French from Mom’s side but really I am just a regular cook, with no cooking credentials to my name. I’m just a girl who loves to cook, eat, plan food events, eat, find and tweak recipes, eat, shop for food, and did I mention I love to eat? Baking is not as much my jam since I find baking to be more science and less art than cooking–a dash of this, a sprinkle of that never hurts the cooking process but too many tweaks on a baking recipe can spell disaster.
Recently, we did a band-aid fix on our kitchen. We bought our home almost 10 years ago with the understanding that the blue Corian counters and white Corian sink in the kitchen and the hall bath with its blue swirly sinks and counters would soon be a memory. Here we are almost 10 years later and we finally made some changes. They are so welcome. It is amazing to me how much difference a few small things have made. We got new counters, a new sink and faucet, installed a backsplash, updated the cabinet hardware, and installed under cabinet lights. It looks like a $1,000,000 but ended up costing under 5K. Totally worth it and way overdue. How often do we get a chance to make a few small changes and have a dramatic outcome? In life, not so much, but in recipes all the time. Just know this site is under construction and in a very rudimentary spot. Patience. It will grow and change as time goes on and I figure things out.
Why have a blog?
I love to cook but haven’t always been what I consider a good cook. Over time, I have worked to hone my cooking chops and become the foodie I am today. It is only through perseverance and growth mindset that I have gotten to a place where some people consider me to be somewhat of a food authority, asking me for advice but most often asking me to share recipes. I also show love through food, since it is natural for me to bring food or make food for people to show that I care about them. A pot of soup, a loaf of fresh bread, a bit of leftover this or that, helping make food for celebrations: it’s all just what I do. I recognize that some of those things sound like a BIG deal to some of you. Maybe that is why you are here, so I can share a little bit of my “why” with you. Why I cook and why I love to cook and why I love to share my love of cooking with you and and and…So that is why I have a blog, so I can share my favorite recipes, tips, tricks, reviews, and more with all of you. It is in one spot and easy to access. And you never need to wait for me to email you that “one recipe” ever again! While you are here I hope you find something to feed your family and maybe your soul. Real food. Real kitchens. Real love. –The Food Civilian