Hello!  I’m Lee, the cook-author-editor behind Transitional Cook.  I live and work in suburban Washington, DC with my NASA rocket scientist -- and willing taste tester -- husband, Dan.  We have three fantastic and loving children (and several exchange sons and daughters), all grown and living near and far.  They are the ones who make my life a joy, and indulge my obsession with cooking, entertaining and food presentation.

I began cooking at a young age - literally, at my grandmother’s apron strings!  Like her, I am entirely self-taught, with aid from many well-read cookbooks, the Internet and lots of experimenting on family and friends (but not in a Pleasantville sort of way).

I created the Transitional Cook to help young professionals, (read, my biological and exchange children!) learn to create flavorful, easy, affordable, and beautifully presented food and recipes.  

Somewhere along the line, my eldest daughter said to me, "We never took home economics in school!" And it was true.  Between the sporting events, music practices,  gymnastic lessons, and homework, there was very little time to learn to cook.  

As they got older and lived on their own, they started calling and texting. The questions were basic, and their housemates didn't know the answers either.  How long should the chicken stay in the oven? What should I eat if I'm not feeling well?  How can I host a small party with a small budget?

We all experience transitions in our lives, whether it be going off to school, finding out we have food allergies, living on our own for the first time, being a newlywed, having an “empty nest” or being widowed, and those changes affect how we think about food and cooking.  My hope is that everyone will use this site to find new user-friendly recipes to answer those basic questions, and manage the changes happening in your life.

-Lee

Contact me and my team with requests, suggestions, or comments for the site. We'd love to hear from you!