Hi, I’m Tara. This blog is where I share my recipes for special dinners. When I discover a new dish while traveling or come across something creative while dining out, I just have to recreate the recipe at home. I also love cooking my own versions of classic dishes.
If you’re new here, welcome! Check out my Recipes page for an overview. And thank you for visiting the blog!
I grew up eating good food. My parents, both graduates of the Culinary Institute of America, own a bakery and an organic vegetable farm in New York. While I don’t have their formal culinary education, I like to think I make up for the lack of professional skills with enthusiasm. I have learned a lot about cooking the hard way. I’ll always tell you if something went wrong in early versions of my recipes, so you won’t risk making the same mistakes. (Not that you would!)
Even though it feels like it sometimes, my life is not all about food. I live in Massachusetts with my husband, Jonathan. Jonathan gives me a lot of support and encouragement for the blog, plus help with the dishes! I work part-time at a small financial company in Boston with some cool people. I lift weights, and you’ll find me at the gym most days. On weekends, we like going on adventures, whether it’s hiking, kayaking, going to the racetrack where Jonathan races a motorcycle, or braving Boston traffic to get some tiramisu.
Why Wednesday Night Cafe?
Not too long after we started dating, I invited Jonathan over for dinner on a Wednesday night. In the tiny kitchen in my Boston apartment, I made him a chicken dish with mushrooms, bacon, and pasta. We soon settled into a routine where I would cook dinner for us every Wednesday night. On the weekends, he took me out.
For myself, I often chose simpler meals to cook. But every Wednesday, I would cook something just a little extra special, just a little extra fancy. I liked making a special meal for us to share, something to look forward to in the middle of the week.
One time Jonathan was asking me where I wanted to go for dinner on Saturday, and I was trying to figure out where he wanted to go. I said, “I want to go somewhere you’re really excited to go eat.”
He said, “The only place I get really excited to go eat is when you cook here.”
Clearly I enjoyed that compliment a little too much. I chose the name Wednesday Night Cafe because I’ll be sharing recipes for those types of special dinners I used to and still do make on Wednesday nights.
Questions? Comments?
Please leave a comment on any post if you have questions about the recipe. Or just to say hi.
If you make changes or substitutions to a recipe to suit your dietary needs or personal preference, please also leave a comment and let me know how it turns out. That can be very helpful to other readers who might have similar dietary restrictions, etc.
Thanks for checking out the blog. I hope you enjoy these recipes.
Tara
That’s Jonathan and me at Cafe Vittoria, where we went on our first date.