Welcome to our About Us page! We are so glad you are here!
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About our family
My husband and I live in Toronto, Canada with our two kids and our Havanese dog, Oreo. Who, by the way, looks nothing like the cookie. The only resemblance is how sweet they both are!
My husband and Oreo are my most loyal taste testers and are happy to try just about anything. Our teenage son and daughter on the other hand are my toughest critics. I'm sure many of you can relate!
My cooking experience
Although I am not a professional chef, I enjoy cooking and creating new recipes that my family can enjoy together. They say "The best ingredient is love" and this is how I cook - unless I'm too tired, then I just throw some ingredients together and call it "dinner".
Over the past two decades, I've embarked on a culinary journey within the walls of my kitchen! It all began with watching my mom make traditional Russian and Ukrainian dishes from her now 50-plus years of cooking experience. The dicing and slicing of the traditional New Year's Olivier Salad, the aroma of freshly made Russian Pancakes "Oladi" or the savory borscht simmering on the stove instantly takes me back to my childhood, when I would watch my mom turning the simplest ingredients into extraordinary feasts.
Living in Canada, I gradually began creating my own meals, experimenting with ingredients, flavors, and techniques, drawing inspiration from other cultures around the world through dining out and traveling.
After getting married and having children my quest shifted toward creating not just delicious, but also health-conscious meals. I started to explore alternatives like baking instead of deep-frying, and amplifying taste through the use of seasonings beyond simply relying on salt. This is actually when my Healthier Oven-Baked Poutine was born!
As my children grew, a newfound fascination for making creative appetizers and elegant dinners began - like this Seaweed Salad and Ahi Tuna Appetizer or this Shepherd's Pie with Quail Egg recipe. This swiftly evolved into a passion. And now I find joy in both innovating new dishes and adapting traditional recipes to align with my commitment to health-conscious cooking.
What you will find at Cre8 at Home
- Easy-to-make recipes, using (mostly) simple ingredients
- Healthier recipes, for the most part! Less deep-fried, more baked. Less salt, and more spices to enhance flavor.
- Step-by-step instructions with process shots for each recipe
- Dinner party recipe ideas
- Many recipe variation options
FAQ's about Irina and Cre8 At Home
I wanted to create this blog as an online source of my recipe collection. Oftentimes I find myself trying to remember a recipe that I made that everyone liked, but I just could not repeat it. Or, I find myself thinking about our next family or friend gathering and trying to come up with some creative recipes that they haven't tried before. So I started this blog. Not only has it become my source to collect my recipes, but I have finally found something that I am passionate about. Coming up with recipes and taking pictures of food makes me excited!
I was sitting on the couch watching TV and thinking about the possible names for my blog. I started jotting down a bunch of possibilities. The name "Create at Home" stood out the most. I thought it was simple and to the point. Food, created at home. I then wanted to make it a little different and more "creative", so I changed the name to "Cre8 at Home". Now I can't even remember any of the other name options anymore.
Oftentimes I'll come up with a recipe on the go; when I have little food left in the fridge and need to make dinner quick. For instance, this Sausage and Rice Salad recipe was created on a busy end-of-the-work-week evening and then improved over time.
Other times, more often than not, I think of an ingredient I would like to use and then go to bed thinking about it. An idea will come to my mind and I'll fall asleep 🙂 Win-Win!
I will also try to replicate a recipe I liked at a restaurant. Like this Sweet and Crunchy Beet Salad, which I replicated using different ingredients and methods.
Our top recipes
Here are some of the homemade recipes that we've made healthier:
Thank you!
Thank you for reading a bit about us and please visit often. We will be posting new recipe ideas as we cook.