Wine tasting on my honeymoon in Siena, Italy
Hi, I'm Amie, the voice, cook and photographer behind My Retro Kitchen. I started blogging back in 2007 during the pregnancy of my son Jackson (is he really 9 already?!). I have always loved journals, but was never very good about consistently writing in them. I would buy these beautiful books and then be afraid I would ruin them with ridiculous entries, or by not writing often enough to have a nice keepsake to look back on. They would each have a few pages of written words before they would be forgotten and tossed into the back of a drawer. But once I became pregnant I wanted to document everything. This was a new world for me and I didn't want miss a thing. Each kick, craving and belly shot slowly turned into an amazing birth story, first steps, sloppy kisses, rock collections, art projects, birth of another handsome son Owen in 2010, and most recently the addition of our third boy Aaron summer of 2014. Thanks to my personal blog My Cup Runneth Over, my children have a wonderful documentation of their lives.
When I would ask people what it is they always wanted to be when they grew up I would hear all sorts of things- teachers, lawyers, doctors, artists. Well me, I always knew I wanted to be a mom. I wanted it more then anything else in the world. An "outside" job wasn't ever all that important to me. I never had that strong drive to go out "make something of myself." Why couldn't I make something of myself here at home? Be surrounded by those I loved more then anything else in the world and help form them into amazing little beings.
My husband Scott and I, having a blast at Loretta Paganini's School of Cooking
The concept of My Retro Kitchen grew from the idea that a home-cooked meal is something of the past. I grew up in a home where every night we would sit down to dinner as a family to a meal that was homemade by my mom. She was my first and easily my best teacher in the kitchen. She taught me how important it is to take the time and make things from scratch- you will not only feel great about your accomplishments, but your family will love you for it too! As a child I had so many friends that would join us at the dinner table on regular basis because their families never sat down together to eat. This was years ago but I know that with the hustle and bustle of people's lives these days, families gathering together in the kitchen for a meal doesn't always happen. But like my own mother, I am lucky enough too be a stay at home mom. And I take the job seriously!! A huge part of nurturing my family is by feeding them well. Full happy bellies = a happy husband and children. I feel that it is my job to feed them, and to do it well.
making homemade pasta (while very pregnant!)
Over the years I have been collecting recipes; old family favorites, those torn out of magazines, bookmarked favorites on my laptop, and the countless cookbooks I have surrounded my family in. I like to make notes in my margins- what worked, what didn't, make agains or "Oh my goodness, NO's". So I thought why not document this part of my life too. Create a home for my recipes, a place to preserve my notes, hold onto family heritage, and share in the ups and downs of my kitchen. And that was how My Retro Kitchen was born. What started out as "a little hobby" has turned into so much more. I have found a wonderful way to grow in my creativity while keeping my family's bellies happy at the same time.
My family, my life
I live in the beautiful midwest, with my amazing husband Scott and our three wildly wonderful boys Jackson, Owen and Aaron. I may be "outnumbered", as Jackson likes to remind me, but honestly I couldn't imagine my life any other way. My boys are my life and I am a better woman because of them. Our busy days are filled with finding bugs, playing in the dirt, collecting rocks and more hugs and kisses then anyone could count. We cook. We play. We laugh. We pray. We sing. We believe life is what you make it and our cup is overflowing.
Thank you for joining me along on my journey. I hope you have as much fun here as I do! I welcome all comments and questions, and love sharing favorite recipes from your own homes. So if there is anything you would like to pass on, please drop me a line!
My Retro Kitchen has been featured on the following sites:
*My Retro Kitchen's One Fish Two Fish Cupcake's featured on Foodista
November 27, 2011
"My Retro Kitchen has transformed the famed Dr. Seuss book, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, into these cute cupcakes. These cupcakes are the perfect treat to serve at a child's birthday party. They will absolutely love the bright colored frosting and edible goldfish. If you are searching for a creative yet easy cupcake idea, these Dr. Seuss inspired cupcakes may be just what you're looking for."
*My Retro Kitchen's One Fish Two Fish Cupcake's featured on Cupcake's take the Cake
November 26, 2011
"How cute are these!? One Fish Two Fish Dr. Seuss cupcakes by My Retro Kitchen. As an English major, I love that these creative cupcakes combine two of my favorite things: cupcakes and books! I really love the decorations on these cupcakes. The blue icing really looks like water with the crystal sprinkles and the pearls. The mini goldfish are a nice touch too!"
*Amie of My Retro Kitchen was the Featured Guest blogger on Cooker Girl as a part of the Ohio Blogging Association November Blog Swap
November 21, 2011
*My Retro Kitchen awarded "Recipe and Blog of the Week" on Family Fresh Meals for her Hot Udon Peanut Noodles recipe
November 20, 2011
*Amie of My Retro Kitchen was the Featured Guest Blogger on Poise in Parma
November 20, 2011
*Amie of My Retro Kitchen was the Featured Guest Blogger on Poise in Parma
May 27, 2011
*My Retro Kitchen named Favorite Cleveland Food Blog on Associated Content from Yahoo!
April 5, 2011
"My Retro Kitchen by Amie Kanengiser is all about creating a wonderful home cooked meal. Her culinary prowess mimics that of a professional and her recipes she posts on her site often inspire me. When in doubt on what to cook on any given night, check out My Retro Kitchen. I will guarantee that you will find something that will tempt your palate and keep you going back for more."
*See My Retro Kitchen at TasteSpotting
"Founded in January 2007 on the idea that we eat first with our eyes, TasteSpotting is our obsessive, compulsive collection of eye-catching images that link to something deliciously interesting on the other side. Think of TasteSpotting as a highly visual potluck of recipes, references, experiences, stories, articles, products, and anything else that inspires exquisite taste."
*Amie of My Retro Kitchen appeared as the featured Guest on The Perfect Pantry: Other People's Pantries
April 9, 2011
*My Retro Kitchen featured on Dinner's Ready
March 10, 2011
*My BLT Dip Photograph is featured on Big Oven
*My Retro Kitchen header designed by Sweet Relish
*My Retro Kitchen's Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich recipe reviewed and featured on Tasty Kitchen Blog by Jenna of Eat, Live, Run (April 29, 2011) and also on A Little Nosh (June 16, 2011)
*Find some of My Retro Kitchen recipe's on Tasty Kitchen:
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I am completely flattered by your interest! Please feel free to share my recipes, link to my blog and enjoy my pictures. But please note that all content and photography is owned and copyrighted by My Retro Kitchen. Please do not reproduce any material or photographs from this blog without written consent.