I’m thrilled to have you at Our Table 4 2, a community for home cooks recapturing the joy of preparing and sharing a good meal when there are two at the table.
I'm Pam, a Minnesota home cook and recent empty nester.
After years of a dinner table filled with the chatter of my two sons, Michael (now in Chicago) and Zach (Washington, DC), it’s now just my husband Mark and me. Yet, we still lead active lives and the kitchen continues to be the heart of our home.
For me, it remains a center of creativity, conversations, laughter and connections. So, I'm passionate about discovering recipes that are approachable, don’t require loads of effort, and, most importantly, taste incredible, but for two now.
As a self-taught cook, I love to experiment with combining flavors and textures to enhance my recipes. I take cooking classes, binge-watch cooking shows and videos, and explore food blogs to add to my library of cookbooks and inspire the next version of the dish. Sound familiar?
To my love of cooking, I bring years of work-place experience as a market research expert for large and small companies. I worked side-by-side with Betty Crocker recipe testers and food scientists at General Mills, Pillsbury, Michelina's Frozen Entrees, and Sam's Club Bakery.
My passion was helping teams learn what people need and create foods they want to eat again and again. With love and experience, I’ve created my own recipes through trial and error, striving to attain the important family declaration: "This one is a keeper!"
In addition to recipes, I’ll share the preparation tools and techniques I picked up over the years, plus inspiration for quick and easy food options throughout the week.
Recipe Inspiration
My recipes are inspired by my grandparents’ Nebraska farm kitchens, friends’ tables, and a lifetime of travel.
Midwest Summers
Although I grew up in Wisconsin, summers were spent in my grandparents’ Nebraska farm communities where family gatherings were frequent and large. And by large, I mean 24 people at a long meal table. I loved being in the kitchen with my grandmothers, aunts, and cousins. There was joy, laughter, conversation, and incredible food
The "keeper" recipes I plan to share include things like Aunt Sherril's homemade runzas, Grandma Lois's snicker doodles and chocolate chip cookies (so good I ate them right out of the freezer), and Grandma Maxine's homemade 4th of July ice cream.
Later, I’ll share even more of the recipe secrets from those Midwest summers.
My Friends' Table
Fast forward to the present, living in Minnesota for 35 years, where I find joy in creating and sharing amazing food with good friends. Coming soon, you’ll find the best of the best recipes from my friends' kitchens, including how to easily make them into dishes for two with ideas for extending contents into the week.
Travel
Our family has driven to just about every U.S. state and been to countries on 4 continents. Whether it’s a diner in Des Moines or a food stall in Sri Lanka, I always look for the local “signature dish” and then play in my kitchen to develop my own version (striving for that “keeper” status.)
My successful recreations include Icelandic fish stew, and the fresh-baked Door County, Wisconsin, cherry pie found at roadside stands.
About Our Table 4 2
Our Table 4 2 is a trusted resource for fellow home cooks eager to prepare good food – for just us two - without spending hours planning, shopping and cooking. Recipes are tested and retested to achieve “keeper status.”
I'm passionate about discovering new recipes for two that have a fantastic outcome and do not require loads of time or know-how. My hope is to inspire a joy for cooking for two, as well as the courage to try something new!
Contact
I love hearing from readers. Have a question or comment? Please email me at [email protected]