When I began Lisa and Frances Cook more than 7 years ago, it was to be something I shared with my daughter-in-law Frances. Lisa and Frances Cook showcases our shared love of cooking and the joy in feeding our friends and family. Frances and my son currently live in San Francisco, work full-time and have two wonderful girls. I live in Chicago with my husband and we’re retired. All of us are apartment dwellers with decidedly unfancy kitchens and very little space. So whatever we make, you can make.

Neither of us went to cooking school, but I come from a long line of wonderful home cooks. And Frances is starting her own traditions while carrying on some of mine. We are eclectic omnivores, but we have made meals to satisfy vegans and children with serious allergies. About the only foods I won’t eat are sushi, blood sausage (at least not on purpose!) and really rare meat. Frances eats all of those, as does my son. Well, maybe not the blood sausage…..

We cook for Jewish holidays, Thanksgiving and the 4th of July. I read cookbooks voraciously and my favorite shopping is food shopping. Since the pandemic, however, I frequently get my food shopping fix online. And thanks to the internet, everything is available whether you live in Missoula, Montana, Anchorage, Alaska or a major city like San Francisco, Chicago or New York.

Did I mention that we all love to hike in the mountains of Utah and eat and drink our way across Napa and Sonoma? For over a decade, Frances and I have been sharing recipes and photos and we thought it might be fun to let you enjoy them too. And since my husband retired, he has gotten into the cooking act as well – FINALLY! Even our son is now cooking and baking bread. So perhaps I should really change the name of the blog to Lisa and Occasionally Her Family Cook. Nah! One thing you can be sure of is that whoever is doing the cooking, it will be delicious.