Lemon Mascarpone, Graham Cracker & Pistachio Parfait-2

Hey there! I’m Lori Yates. You might be here after you clicked on some mason jar salads on Pinterest, but I hope you’ll stick around and make yourself comfortable. Why does this blog have a strange name? Simple: my maiden name is Fox, and I love all things lemon.

Long back-story short, I grew up in a household where we had dinner together every night. We didn’t eat gourmet food, but my Mom did make us dinner at home 6 nights a week. I didn’t think too much about what I was eating, and Kraft mac & cheese was my favorite meal.

I went to college and got a Communications degree. My roommates and I never had any money, but we did have something called “The College Cookbook.” It was written in the 80’s, and probably given to one of us as a gag gift. But we loved it, and we were always in the kitchen cooking up something delicious (and cheap!). Enchilada casserole? Yes please. Chicken Egg Foo Young? Yum-town.

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After college, my now-husband, Jeff, and I moved into a little apartment (and later a house, and then a second house where I built my dream kitchen), and I started work in advertising. At first it was OK, but I grew to like it less and less. While advertising sounds exciting to a lot of people, my job mostly revolved around Excel spreadsheets and mind-numbing meetings in hotel conference rooms. I started to realize that the best part of my day was going home and cooking something interesting for dinner.

Foxes Love Lemons Dream Kitchen-3

After five years of working in advertising, I had enough. Jeff encouraged me to change paths and go to culinary school, and how could I say no to somebody as supportive as that? So, I said yes. Our area has one of the nation’s top culinary schools, so I knew the year-and-a-half wait list for admission would be worth it.

Going to school and cooking all day, every day, was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. Sure, we had to wear hideous checkered chef’s pants and paper hats, but that didn’t derail my enjoyment. I was learning to make crepes! And sushi! And eclairs! And sausage! And baguettes! And smoked salmon! And I was learning it all from some of the best chefs in the country.

izzy

Since graduating (again), I’ve worked as a recipe developer and tester, food photographer, writer, restaurant reviewer and private cooking instructor. In my free time, I enjoy riding my bike and cuddling with my lovable rescue dog, Izzy (follow her naptimes adventures on Instagram using the tag #oneflops).

This blog is where I share simple yet special recipes that will get you into the kitchen and turn you into a home chef. If you’re new around these parts, you may want to check out a few of my most popular posts, including Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup, French Onion Chicken Sandwiches, Guacamole Rice and Asian Noodle Salad Jars.

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Questions? Contact me at lori@foxeslovelemons.com or find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram. My professional photography portfolio can be found at LoriYatesPhotography.com.