Hello and welcome. Thanks for visiting my site and about page where I've written a bit about myself and the context that influences the recipes you'll find on Cristina's Kitchen.
I started this blog to share my love of cooking from scratch. I've been tinkering around in the kitchen since I was barely a teenager. I still have vivid memories of the first time I fried an egg - learning to control the gas stove and sputtering hot oil gave me an incredible rush and unlocked a creative outlet that would prove to be my most enduring love.
I was born in Romania in the late 80s. My grandparents were farmers and so I learned from a young age to appreciate whole food ingredients and the kitchen magic we call cooking that takes them from their raw form and turns them into not only food but also cherished memories and traditions.
When I was a kid, Romania was still under communism and it was often said that prepared food purchased from shops (or 'din comerț') was made with cheap ingredients and couldn't be trusted.
I was skeptical at first but the truth hit me hard after I ate one too many Savarin pastries made with thick, filmy artificial whipped cream that would coat the roof of my mouth in grainy oil. They didn't even taste good - what was the point? It just made me sad.
That was when I learned my second abiding food lesson: if you want to eat well you're best off learning to make it yourself.
The final influence on my food is that my life has unfolded across a lot of different places.
In the early 90s my family fled communist Romania to make a new life in Toronto, where I lived until my mid-20s. Growing up in Toronto exposed me to a lot of different culinary traditions and food cultures - Indian, Polish, Persian, Colombian, Cuban, Jamaican, Italian, Portuguese, Greek...the people and cultures represented by Toronto are truly amazing <3
Being a third-culture kid I've always felt more at home in diversity and often seek it out. I left Toronto in 2014 and lived in the US for 3 years before moving to Amsterdam, The Netherlands with my husband and our dog Oliver in late 2017.
We're close to a hub airport so my husband and I try to travel often, mostly holiday spots and places we have family and friends - around Europe, the UK, the USA and Canada. Our next big destination will be Japan.
I'm constantly on the lookout for recipe inspiration on these trips and while at home and love sharing new finds on the blog.
These are some of my favorite recipes on the blog:
Since I'm Romanian you'll find a lot of traditional Romanian recipes. I spent December 2023 perfecting my Romanian cozonac recipe. I made so much cozonac I was giving it away to neighbors just so I could make more.
I am really proud of how the recipe turned out and feel like I unlocked an achievement getting it just right. I've also posted classics like traditional Romanian cabbage rolls, Romanian stuffed peppers, and (the recipe closest to my heart) smoky Romanian bean stew.
I love soups and stews in general so you'll find a lot in my collection of soup and stew recipes. I can't choose one favorite but besides smoky Romanian bean stew which is on repeat at our house, I can always eat Romanian meatball soup, and when it's cold out I often find myself craving a hearty vegetable and grain soup like chicken and chickpea or chickpea and veg.
Favorite food: Can't choose but looove beans. They really need more hype for how tasty and nutritious they are. See my recipes for beans and legumes for some gems like fresh fava beans in tomato dill sauce or slow cooked pork and beans with ham hocks.
Most Toronto recipe: I think it's a tie between Jamaican beef patties and Polish cheese and potato pierogi.
Favorite travel destination: Can't pick one but Italy is always a good idea and we try to go as often as life will allow. I've taken a lot of inspiration from trips to Italy - you can see my Italian recipe collection for nice classics like homemade pasta, ossobucco alla Milanese, and the crispy porchetta I'm cutting in the photo above.
Top 3 most popular recipes on the blog:
These are just some highlights. I hope you find something you enjoy here.
How to reach me
If you want to get in touch with me you can drop a comment below. If you have a question or comment about a recipe then drop a comment in the comments section of the recipe.
I absolutely love hearing from you - it's probably the best part about food blogging. I try to reply to recipe-related questions within a day.
As far as social media goes, you can follow me on Pinterest. You can also find me on Instagram - I'm not very active but I do try to reply to DMs.
For other questions you can reach me at contact (at) cristinaskitchen (dot) com.
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