Hey y'all! Welcome to A Joyfully Mad Kitchen, I'm so glad you found this space! I'm Madison and I am the recipe developer, taste-tester, food photographer, and writer behind this blog.
About the Blogger
I'm Madison, or as some of my closest friends call me, "Mad".
When my husband and I got married five years ago, the only cooking I had done was out of necessity. I had just come off of having a meal plan in college and suddenly had to learn to cook for not just myself but for two people! It didn't take long for me to fall in love with making food, since I had always had a love affair with eating it.
As I learned to cook, I began to see that food and cooking was shaping?into a huge part of my life. I loved getting to use my hands for something other than computer work and I loved getting to experiment with new foods.
In our tiny 700 square foot apartment we began to have friends over for dinner frequently and I began to see how easy it was to bring people together around the table. It was there that I realized hospitality would become a huge part of our life.
Since then, we've moved across the country from North Carolina to Arizona, had our first son in October of 2015, and renovated a 1960's home in the Phoenix area. When I'm not in the kitchen, I have a?second business in web design and our little family loves to travel, be outdoors, and explore the?local area.
About the Blog
After blogging for about three years, I finally did what my gut had been telling me for a while and rebranded this space to A Joyfully Mad Kitchen. The name came from a play on words between my name and my knack for being a (very) messy cook. As my love for food and hospitality grew, it was obvious to me that this was the message I needed to share.
I know that cooking can be overwhelming. I know there are a million different recipes on Pinterest, but that doesn't answer the question what's for dinner? I know that it's difficult opening your home to guests because there are a million things you feel like have to be just right. But I'm here to help you with all of those things.
I'm here to?show you that cooking can bring true joy to your life and be an easy way to bring people together. Hospitality doesn't have to be about a perfect pot roast or expensive dinnerware. It's simply about showing up and?letting your guard down just a little. I truly believe that life happens around the table. And cooking doesn't have to be something you have to do because you have to eat! It can be something that enriches and brings value to your life!
On this blog you'll find the tried and true recipes that my family and I eat and love to serve to friends and family. Each of the recipes on this blog is food that we actually eat in our house. With a toddler in our family, I'll always try to share recipes that the whole family will enjoy - but I won't blame you if you hide the cupcakes from your kids. I get it. 😉
I hope that while you're here, a little part of you will feel like you're sitting on my couch, maybe watching me prepare dinner or sipping on a cup of coffee while we chat about how life's been recently. I truly am honored that you are here.