Spring, 2025 – Throughout the beginning of the year


I love cooking. Andrea loves cooking. Our classmates and friends love cooking.

And so, to the surprise of no one… we did a lot of cooking. Even as the MBA wore on, time grew short, and deadlines loomed high… we cooked. Here’s a few quick glimpses into some of the more photogenic dishes:

Banitsa! Andrea cooked this quite a few times, and even taught me how to cook it! It’s a Bulgarian dish, made with Filo dough, Bulgarian cheese, spinach, and scrambled eggs – all wrapped up, and baked in the oven. It’s amazing, and I’m continually astounded at how incredible it tastes.

Steak! I cooked steak quite a few times – even a prime rib one evening! I haven’t learned any new tricks, truth be told, but neither have I lost any of my edge on cooking an excellent meal. Seared, with veggies and bread on the side… it’s simple, but excellent.

One advancement I did make… I tried cooking Beef Wellington once! Now, granted, I did buy it pre-made… but hey. I was able to cook it right, so… that’s a partial win, right?

Vegan Bolognese! This is Andrea’s signature dish, alongside the banitsa, and ohh my god. I can’t wax poetic enough about how good this is, and how amazing the whole floor smells when it’s simmering.

Dinners out happened as well – some traditional American breakfasts, and even an evening out at a nearby Japanese restaurant. Fun, and a lovely chance to get out of the house and away from the various papers.

I made sliders! The old recipe that I adore from Boston, I’ve made this quite a few times – it’s simple and elegant, with just grilled burgers and a quail egg on top, but… mm. Simple is good.

I adore fried chicken, and Chicken Katsu is pretty close… so I was very happy to make a full meal of it with some stir fried veggies and bok-choi alongside. The rice… well, I don’t cook rice often, so thankfully I had some help with getting that part right.

Now, you can’t have busy university days without pasta. But… We don’t do boring pasta here. Combined with a nice sauce, maybe some asparagus or Soppressata or mushrooms… a burrata ball… It’s not so bad.

Last, but not least, we have my old-fashioned slow cooked recipe. Babyback ribs, mac and cheese, and some roasted root veggies… It had been a rough week, and I was feeling a bit homesick, so this was a perfect pick-me-up to restart the day. An American friend even joined me, which added that perfect extra bit of positivity into the evening.