Welcome To The Cooking Mom!

I’m so glad you’re here. I want to make your life a little more delicious with easy breezy recipes, secrets, and kitchen tips.

You may have seen me on TV!

First of all, thank you so much for watching! It means the world to me! I love sharing my family-friendly recipes, secrets, and stories here on this website and also on TV. 

I’m a regular on many TV stations and shows across the country like WGN-TV in Chicago, The Jason Show, Twin Cities Live, and Fox 6 Wakeup in Milwaukee.  I’ve even been featured twice on The Dr. OZ show! I have my own cooking & lifestyle show, too, called Living with Amy, which airs weekdays on WLUK-Fox 11 in Green Bay.

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Again, thanks so much for tuning in! I’m not sure people still say tuning in anymore. I guess I’m a bit old school. LOL!

My recipes have been featured in lots of magazines and newspapers too!

One of my recipes was even featured in The New York Times! They called my Slow Cooker Sausage and Cheese Chowder the ULTIMATE tailgate recipe. I agree!

I know my football food as a proud cheesehead and Green Bay Packers fan.  What an honor! As you can see, even our dog, Arlo, is a Packers Fan! GO PACK GO!

Before The Cooking Mom…

I got my degree in broadcast journalism from Marquette University in Milwaukee, and after that started my career anchoring the news and reporting. 

I was a news anchor in  Sioux City and, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Omaha, and finally, I ended up as a long-time morning anchor in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

I raised my two kids, Riley and Ireland, in Green Bay and fell in love with Wisconsin, especially the Friday fish fries and old-school supper clubs!

As the anchor of an expanding morning show, I started having local chefs on.  One day, a chef canceled, and I decided I’d cook one of my favorite family recipes on air.

I’ve always LOVED cooking, so it was natural for me! Lo and behold, the segment was a hit! The viewers loved my recipes because they are EASY and made with ingredients you can get at any grocery store.

After 15 years, I had that light bulb moment… what if instead of anchoring the news, maybe cooking and sharing my recipes on TV is where I’m supposed to be!?  Not long after, my boss asked me to host a cooking show. The rest is history! I’ve been cooking up my easy breezy recipes on TV for more than 30 years now. 

  • I wrote and self-published my first cookbook in 2010. 
  • Next came the website TheCookingMom.com in 2011. 
  • Now, I have two cookbooks, and I’m working away on the 3rd. 

These Days…

It’s just me and my fiancé Hoyt. I’m excited to announce we recently got engaged! He proposed while we were on a river cruise in Budapest this summer! We are so excited!  So are our kids and families!

Between us, we have five kids in their 20s. That’s right! We’re empty nesters! YIPPEE! How sweet it is!

When our kids come home to visit, it’s a blast! We really love hanging out in the kitchen and cooking together!

I ALWAYS want our kids to leave the table with a full belly, great memories, and maybe a doggy bag to take home too! We also have a big black lab, Arlo, who we love so much!

Struggling to get dinner on the table? I get it!

Getting dinner on the table every night with two picky eaters was the hardest part of my day, especially with my schedule of waking up at 2:30 AM to host early morning shows! Eventually, I figured out how to make dinner stress free and fun and how to entertain the easy way.

Now, it’s my mission to help you get easy-breezy dinners on the table and host fabulous get-togethers full of memories!

Teaching Your Kids To Cook Is So Important!

When I was raising my two kids, Riley and Ireland, at home, I made sure to get them in the kitchen at an early age.

My daughter was helping in the kitchen before she even knew how to walk! Now, they’re both out of college and are cooking their own dinners.

Because we made cooking a fun, family affair, now, they’re both great cooks and are up for trying anything!

If you are a parent or grandparent who wants to teach to cook, you’re in the right place! I’ve got loads of kid-friendly recipes to get them excited about cooking! 

I always say, “they’ll never learn if you don’t teach them to cook.” You can do this! I’m here to help!

Travel With Me!

Hoyt and I LOVE to travel. Now that our kids are grown, we can! I want to eat my way around the world!  I love planning trips and going to places I’ve always dreamed of. That’s one of the reasons I started The Cooking Mom Vacations.  Join me for trips of a lifetime!

My group trips are special and different from the rest! I’ve got a bunch of amazing vacations planned for 2023 and 2024! I’m going to Italy, Mexico, France, Mackinac Island, Michigan, and more! I’m working on planning even more trips too! I’d love to hear where you want to go!

Fun facts about me…

I was born in Petoskey, Michigan. I was lucky to spend every summer there sailing on Lake Michigan. I still love boating and getting out in the water!

I grew up and went to school in Scottsdale, Arizona.  My family still lives there. We love visiting, especially in the winter! 

In high school, my grandmother took me around to look at a bunch of colleges, and I fell in love with Marquette University in Milwaukee! Maybe it had something to do with my grandmother and I staying at the beautiful historic Pfister Hotel.

Decades later, the Pfister Hotel bar is where I met my fiance, Hoyt. How crazy is that! It’s still one of my favorite places.

Hoyt and I feel so lucky to have met, and we go to the Pfister at least once a year to celebrate. Have you ever been there? The lobby is spectacular! Especially during the holidays! It’s old school in the best way!

Speaking of my grandmother, I was lucky enough to inherit her dining room table set when she passed away. She was a wonderful cook and loved to entertain! I learned so much from her!

I remember so many good times sitting around this table! Now, my family sits at this table. We gather here to share meals and play games. We are cooking up our own memories; I treasure it!

My Favorite Foods…

  • I love warm chocolate cookies
  • I love a good triple-decker club sandwich with turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and lots of mayo! I love BLT’s too, or pretty much any big messy sandwich! 
  • I don’t really do bottled salad dressings unless I need a quick marinade in a pinch.  I love to shake up my own dressings in seconds. My simple balsamic vinaigrette has just two ingredients unless you want to count salt and pepper. So easy, cheap and tasty, and better for you!
  • I love brats on the grill! I’d never had a beer or a brat until my freshman year in college at Marquette University.  My first tailgate was at the Brewers game in Milwaukee. Now I love brats, beer, and tailgating!  Try them my way: BEST EVER in a “Brat Tub”

My Favorite Drinks…

  • I love a real Coke every once in a while  (not the diet stuff)  
  • I love just about any dry white wine. red wine too.  Okay, pretty much all wine! Cheers! 
  • I love coffee and taking pictures of pretty coffee and latte art.  I’m kind of obsessed with pretty coffee! I had the most amazing rose latte in NYC.  So delicious and gorgeous!

Other Things I love…

  • I LOVE tennis! I’ve been playing since I was a kid. I played on the high school tennis team, and I still play several days a week! In the summer, I play on a USTA ladies team, and we play different teams from around Wisconsin! So fun!
  • I love the color blue.  Can you tell by my website? My kitchen is blue and white, my whole house is blue and white.  What can I say? I just LOVE blue!
  • I love Yahtzee! I mean… BEST GAME EVER! My highest score is 518. Not too shabby!  
  • I love Lilly Pulitzer – those bright, fun colors and prints make me happy.
  • I love live music.  If there’s a jazz club, I’m in! We love going to Nashville for live music! Chicago and New York too! 
  • I love walking and hiking! We recently took a big family vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota.  It’s where Hoyt’s family vacationed.  My first time! We rented a big house with all the kids, Hoyt’s parents, and even the dog! We took the most amazing hikes every day!

Stay In Touch

You can always see what I’m up to if you follow along with all the fun on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. I’ve got videos on Youtube and TikTok too! 

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Contact Me

You can always email me with questions, concerns, or recipe suggestions at info@thecookingmom.com! If you’re a brand or an advertiser, I’d love to work with you! Check out my Collaborate Page to see how we can team up to do amazing things together!

I’m so happy that you’re here!

I get so excited every time you make one of my recipes and take a trip with me.  I love hearing from you! Let’s cook up some memories! All my love! -Amy