Welcome to It’s Cooking With Magda!

My name is Magda Dagnall and this is my food blog where I post about my culinary explorations. I have always been very passionate about cooking and trying out new recipes has been my hobby for a very long time. I have a growing collection of cookbooks and cooking magazines that I’m constantly pouring over. I hope to inspire you to try out my recipes and tips.

I grew up in Poland where I graduated from college with a B.S. in Environmental Conservation and teaching credentials. I spent a year teaching biology and chemistry in a tiny town there when I decided it was time to explore the world and widen my horizons. I joined my family in California over a decade ago and never looked back.

Shortly after my arrival I met my future husband, Jud. We have been married for almost a decade now and are proud parents of two very active, creative, messy, loud and sweet boys. Jud is an amazing photographer who has been very patiently teaching me about food photography.

I have always been interested in cooking. I remember watching my grandmother making fresh noodles for her chicken noodle soup typically served for Sunday dinner. My grandfather always liked it steaming hot with lots of freshly ground pepper, saying that if you didn’t sweat a lot it wasn’t good enough. Recently, I visited Poland and my Grandma, at 85, made me her plum dumplings that were just pure heaven! I remember watching my Aunt Maria make delicious cakes and salads. She was constantly trying out new recipes and searching for the best ones. My Mom makes amazing dishes with fish and she is the person I call with various culinary questions.

Living in California provides me with an amazing amount of fresh produce all year-long. I love going to Farmers’ Markets a couple of times a week. Being exposed to so many different cuisines from all over the world gives me a chance to try new spices, fruit and vegetables in my cooking. I really enjoy Mediterranean cuisine as well as Indian, Thai and Japanese. I also try to limit the amount of meat our family consumes as I believe the plant-based diet to be the healthier one.

Our household is pretty busy and it gets hectic sometimes. I have a good collection of easy, quick and healthy recipes that have been tested in our house and work very well and I’m going to share them here with you. Over the last 7 years I talked to many busy moms who mentioned how hard it is to have a fresh and healthy dinner on the table every night. Hopefully, my recipes, tips and suggestions will make things easier. Did I mention our busy household with 2 very active boys, 1 dog and a hubby who works long hours? So yes, I need all the help I can get, too.

I enjoy traveling and wherever we go I always look for good spots to grab a bite from spots where the locals go. When I think of places I would want to visit it is mostly because of what I would want to eat there. I hope to travel the world mainly so I can try the local cuisine and get a real taste ( and maybe visit a museum or two).

I love reading and gardening. I wish I could say I run but I don’t. I used to do yoga and loved it so I plan to get back to it. I’m working on my photography and how to be the best mom I can be.

I hope my blog will be inspirational, fun and encouraging. Feel free to leave me a positive comment or constructive critique.

All the images you see on my blog were taken by me, unless otherwise noted. Please, ask for permission to use them.

Thanks for reading It’s Cooking With Magda!

Come back soon!