Hi! I’m Kohleen. I’m a part-time blogger and freelance marketing consultant and a full-time lover of life, dog momma to Haley and partner-in-crime to Kashmir. I love to cook, dance, travel, write and entertain. I believe in coconuts and lobster as food groups, sporting skirts while working out, wearing scarves year-round and being the best person I can be. I enjoy sharing delicious (and mostly healthy) recipes and other “bites” from the vibrant life I live. My hope for Bites of Life is that it grows into a source of inspiration for others—the way so many blogs and bloggers have inspired me.
When I was 3, my mom found me in the barn atop a manure pile singing to the goats, wearing nothing but my brand new ballet slippers!
I was born and raised on a farm in East Central Minnesota with a family that embodied resourcefulness, creativity, hard work and open-minded thinking. I was taught at a young age to really get to know myself, find what makes me happy and be great at it. I am so thankful for those lessons, for they instilled in me the commitment to try my best at everything and to never give up without a fight. Notice I said TRY MY BEST not BE THE BEST. Although I am admittedly somewhat of a perfectionist, I know there will always be others out there that are better than me at something—but at the end of the day, I can take pride in knowing I give my all in everything I do.
I’m fairly easy-going, but I can get excited REAL QUICK…I whole-heartedly believe everything happens for a reason, and I like to be surrounded by people I can be myself with, who make me laugh and fill my days with joy, like this guy…
I spent much of my dating-aged life in relationships with the wrong guys…then I found the man I will love for the rest of my days—an island boy from New York City. His name is Kashmir (or Kash for short). Kash and I share a passion for adventure, traveling, and great food. We love craft beer, seafood, our beagle {Haley}, champagne brunches, summer festivals and curling up on the couch to watch movies during frigid Minnesota winters. I could fill an entire book with details of how amazing he is, but I will sum it up like this: He makes me ridiculously happy—more so than I could ever imagine. He inspires me to be a better person, and I feel like the luckiest girl alive to share my life with him.
I still can’t believe I once misspelled ‘recipe’ in a spelling bee!
My Culinary Roots
I can’t remember ever following a recipe EXACTLY in my life. Nah, I take that back—as a kid, I used to follow my mom’s recipes (although something tells me I found a way to put my own spin on them). I think it was probably around the time I started making mudpies and opened up my own backyard restaurant and patio {aka abandoned duck house} that my culinary creativity really began to take shape. I used to spend hours (maybe days) perfecting just the right combination of sand, water, leaves, twigs, acorns, grass, pine needles and whatever else I could get my hands on {using my mom’s good dishes and cookware of course}! Somewhere along the way, I graduated to using real food that others could actually eat. {Well, I suppose one could eat a mudpie if they wanted to.} These days, my ingredients may be different, but the spirit of that imaginative little girl still lives inside me always trying to concoct something special (but in an actual kitchen). So as you read this blog and are inspired by the recipes, listen to that creative voice inside you and whip up your own versions—I’d love to hear what you come up with! To learn more about my recipes and what inspires me in the kitchen, check out My Cooking Style.
A Few Bites of Advice
This is my recipe for a happy life: Live completely, be yourself (don’t compromise for anyone), eat amazing food, take care of your body and love with intention. Soak up the sun (and its vitamin D), dance in the rain, and fill your senses with the sights, sounds, tastes and feelings that complete you! Surround yourself with wonderful, positive, inspirational people and be the best {child, sibling, parent, partner, friend and self} you can be!
The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it’s all that matters.
-Audrey Hepburn
