About

Cookin' w/ Luv is a blog about love. I believe love is always what's missing - from food, relationships, careers, communities and life - and this blog is my attempt to put love first. You'll find I fail most of the time. You'll also find I never seem to tire of subject: Cookin' w/ Luv , Just Say Love, Love and Other Commitments, Overcoming Guilt, Love Story

I also write a lot about food. I see food as an opportunity to express love to friends, family, colleagues and readers. I always start from-scratch and focus mainly on comfort foods. Out of respect and love for everyone's health, I do not cook or bake with transfats (partially-hydrogenated oils), high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), or products involving Bisphenol A (BPA). I also avoid artificial food dyes, chemical preservatives and preprepared or prepackaged shortcuts. Learn more

I want you to feel confident and empowered while cooking so I include step-by-step photo tutorials to walk you through ingredients and techniques.

I also want to respect your time and money, so I stick to readily available ingredients and I thoroughly test all of my original recipes - if I'm not happy with the results, I assume no one else will be happy. Please note, I do not test food or recipes appearing in the Made with Love Mondays, Tuesday Tutors or Food Fetish Fridays series.

About the Name

The origins of the Javelin Warrior name are quite unremarkable. I'm Mark and my name means "Mighty Warrior" in Greek. There's also my boyfriend, Frank, and his name means "Javelin" in German. Put the two names together and - Javelin Warrior (learn more). You don't have to call me Javelin Warrior. Only if you want to. You can also call me Mark or JW. My little sister sometimes calls me Marko - but you really didn't need to know that.

About the Author

I'm one of 5 siblings and I'm not the oldest or the youngest. I grew up mostly in Pittsburgh, earned my dual Bachelors in Writing and Business from the University of Pittsburgh, and landed my first 40-hours-per-week job in Cleveland. I currently live, write and cook from a comfy apartment in Virginia Beach.

I started cooking in grade school at my parents' insistence that all of us siblings learn to prepare family meals. I hated it. I quit cooking as soon as I started college and didn't pick up a pot or pan until I met Boyfriend Javelin in 2004. As I started dabbling in the kitchen, I grew increasingly frustrated by mediocre results, over-reliance on preprepared shortcuts, and my own lack of kitchen knowledge. In 2010, I started Cookin' w/ Luv to share what I learned as I learned it: cooking techniques, carefully tested recipes, kitchen tips, and whatever else fit into food, recipes, relationships and love.

• What I Wish Someone had Told Me, Part 1 and Part 2
• Cooking Techniques, Part 1 and Part 2
• Tools and Tips: Bread Machine, Food Processor, Stand Mixer, Ice Cream Maker, Slow Cooker
• How to be a Better Blogger

In 2011, I quit my full-time job to focus entirely on food and writing. When I'm not testing recipes or blogging, you might find me swimming laps or pretending to write on my novel.

More on Javelin Warrior

Boyfriend Javelin, who fearlessly eats and critiques everything I make and frequently requests more sugar and spice. He's also the designated dishwasher.

Sadly, I can't trust Boyfriend Javelin with the camera.

My apartment kitchen in Virginia Beach - dimly lit, over-stuffed, and gainfully employed.

My cookbook collection - I confess they're mostly for the pictures.

My only camera. It's also my phone, jukebox, theatre and GPS.

Vintage CorningWare - I'm obsessed with Blue Cornflowers.

Vintage Pyrex Cinderella Nesting Bowls

Last page count for my novel. I'm still pretending to be a novelist.

I swim 1200 - 1500 meters 3x per week. Or when my shoulders, back and schedule all cooperate.

Contact

I love to hear from readers and I answer all emails, tweets and other messages personally and as rapidly as I can. Sometimes the blog and life get swamped, so I apologize up front for any delays in my response. Thank you so much for taking the time to connect and share with me.

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