Meet Nick, the creator of all things family-friendly at Macheesmo. What is ‘macheesmo’? Macheesmo is a phrase created by Nick that simply means cooking with confidence. Understanding the challenge of lacking confidence in the kitchen, Nick made cooking easy and fun.
I didn’t really start my cooking journey until after college. For most of my childhood, food was basic American fare - hot dogs and hamburgers, etc. When I moved into an apartment with my girlfriend (now wife), it became apparent that one of us should probably learn how to cook, so I started the journey! I realized I loved cooking and also writing about cooking.
When I began cooking more, I wanted to try more interesting recipes. At the time, I was also experimenting with starting some websites on WordPress, so I started a food blog, mainly to keep myself honest. That was 12 years ago! Since then, I’ve published about 1,500 recipes on Macheesmo and still come up with new stuff for the site every week!
When we are strapped for time, we default to easy Italian or Tex-Mex meals for the most part. We are always making quick pasta dishes like this Easy Pesto Pasta with Sausage or this Fajita Taco Salad bowl. My kids aren’t super adventurous eaters, but they will eat at least parts of these recipes, especially with a bit of dessert hostage-holding.
I think the most important thing isn’t the recipes, but the routine of dinner. Eating dinner regularly together is really important. They see you eating the food, and it’s more likely they will try it. It also helps to get them involved in the kitchen, even if it’s something small. My 4-year old helps me set the table some nights, and she is always more willing to try what’s on the plate because she helped put the plates together.
My ultimate holiday hack is to order fancy appetizers from a local restaurant that you love. It supports them during the holiday season, and some restaurants will put together fun appetizer packs so you can focus on really rocking the main entrees of the meal!
I wrote Love Your Leftovers a long time ago, but I still use all the concepts and recipes in it to this day. The biggest misconception about leftovers is that they are boring or somehow lesser than the original, but instead, people should see leftovers as building block ingredients that can be used for other meals. They also represent literal time and money that you’ve already spent, so put them to use!
I would love to make big greasy smash burgers with Anthony Bourdain (RIP) and then drink bourbon all night long.
These days I’m writing more than ever on the blog and Simply Recipes as well. This year, I’m also trying to figure out TikTok. I’ve literally never felt older.
