My Culinary Journey

My love for cooking began over 20 years ago in my early twenties when I started preparing daily meals for my growing family. What began as necessity evolved into genuine passion—I discovered that cooking was about more than feeding people. It was about creating moments of comfort, showing love, and building traditions around the dinner table.

As my confidence grew, I invested in expanding my knowledge through home cooking courses, baking workshops, and food safety training. These programs gave me the technical foundation to understand ingredient science, proper techniques, and troubleshooting—knowledge that informs every recipe I create today.

While I haven’t worked in professional kitchens, I’ve spent years cooking for school events, neighborhood gatherings, and family celebrations. When you’ve prepared potluck dishes for teacher appreciation lunches, coordinated Thanksgiving dinners, or baked dozens of cupcakes for fundraisers, you learn what recipes are truly practical and what people actually want to eat.

Before focusing full-time on recipe development and blogging, I worked in customer service and office administration. Those roles shaped my organized, detail-oriented approach to recipe writing. Clear documentation and simple communication are now the foundation of every recipe I share.

Why I Started StoveAndLove

I launched StoveAndLove.com in 2020 to share the practical, comforting recipes that had become staples in my own kitchen. As a busy mom cooking daily for my husband and two children, I’d developed a collection of kid-approved, budget-friendly recipes realistic for hectic weeknights. Friends and other parents constantly asked me for these recipes, and I realized there was real need for approachable home cooking from someone who understood the challenges of feeding a family.

The name “Stove and Love” captures my philosophy: cooking is both a practical skill (the stove) and an act of care (the love). Every recipe reflects both elements.

What started as documenting family favorites has grown into over 340 tested recipes, all developed in my Kansas kitchen for real-life home cooking. Since launching, StoveAndLove has helped thousands of home cooks discover that weeknight dinners can be both easy and delicious, with readers consistently sharing that my recipes have become their family staples too.

What Makes StoveAndLove Different

My Specialty: I focus on comfort food, quick family dinners, one-pan meals, casseroles, and approachable baking. My recipes are practical, familiar, and reliable—the kind of cooking that makes busy weeknights manageable and special occasions memorable.

My Philosophy: I believe cooking shouldn’t be intimidating or time-consuming. My recipes feature clear instructions, simple grocery store ingredients, and techniques that work consistently. No fancy equipment, no hard-to-find ingredients, no unnecessary complications—just good food that brings people together.

Throughout this site, I use “I” when referring to myself (Susan Harper) and my personal cooking journey. When I mention “my family,” I’m referring to my husband and two children who are my daily recipe testers and inspiration.

Who I Cook For: I create recipes for home cooks aged 25-55, busy parents, working families, and anyone seeking easy, comforting everyday meals that don’t sacrifice flavor for convenience.

What You’ll Find Here

• Quick family dinners ready in 30-45 minutes
• One-pan and sheet pan meals for easy cleanup
• Comforting casseroles perfect for busy nights or potlucks
• Kid-friendly recipes that earn clean plates
• Approachable baking from cookies to simple cakes
• Budget-conscious meals using everyday ingredients
• Step-by-step instructions with clarity and care

Every recipe has been prepared multiple times in my Overland Park kitchen and tested on my own family. Living in Kansas, where family life and seasonal home cooking are central to our lifestyle, inspires the heartwarming recipes I create. I host friends for holiday gatherings and casual backyard dinners, and those experiences shape what I share—recipes designed for real people, real budgets, and real schedules.

My 20+ years of cooking experience, combined with my background in clear communication, means every recipe anticipates your questions, explains the “why” behind steps, and provides tips that make cooking easier.

Let’s Connect

I love hearing from fellow home cooks and busy parents! Whether you’ve tried one of my recipes, have questions about adapting a dish, or want to share what’s happening in your kitchen, I’d be delighted to connect.

Email: [email protected]
Pinterest: pinterest.com/stoveandlove

Follow along on Pinterest for daily recipe inspiration, time-saving tips, and comforting meals from my Kansas kitchen.

Thank you for being part of the StoveAndLove community. I’m so glad you’re here.

— Susan Harper
Creator & Recipe Developer
StoveAndLove.com
Overland Park, Kansas