My name is Amy Casey and I love to cook. I cook for my family. I cook for my friends. I cook for my clients. And occasionally I cook for strangers. Not every cook wants to be a 4-star restaurant chef preparing meals with truffles, black garlic, and foie gras. Most just want to make a good dinner, a delectable dessert, or a new appetizer that is tasty and a little out of the ordinary. That is where my blog and I come in.

Originally born in New Jersey, my family moved to the suburbs of Chicago when I was 2. I happily lived a white bread life there for 30 years. I married my college sweetheart, and we bought our first house 2 blocks from the home I grew up in. We travelled across the country for a short stint basking in the lights and tinsel of Southern California with our three kids - My Oldest, My Middle One, and No Thank You Boy, and two dogs. We now call Sparta, New Jersey home. We live in a big house that could usually use a little more vacuuming and a few loads of laundry put away, but there are always cookies in the cookie jar on the kitchen counter.

I started writing my blog Dinners for a Year and Beyond in January of 2007. All those scraps of paper with cooking notes scribbled on them and pages ripped from magazines with an idea for a recipe needed organizing. A blog was the best way to manage the chaos.

My typical day revolves around reading cookbooks like novels and thinking about the next meal I am going to prepare for my family and clients. With there being only so much food my family can consume, I opened EAT! A Personal Chef Service to spread my feeding frenzy to other families. I plan, shop, and prepare meals for those who don't have time to shop and cook, are looking for an alternative to take out and dining at restaurants, or just don't like to cook.

I spend too much time reading blogs and writing for my own blog, but I do enjoy it so. When I receive an email from someone who happened upon my blog and enjoyed one of my recipes with their family, it sets my heart a flutter. My blogging has opened up a writer in me that I never knew existed and I so enjoy combining writing with my love of cooking.

Feel free to drop me an email at amy(at)eatpersonalchefservice(dot)com if you have a question about my recipes, want to know more about my personal chef service, or just want to chat about food.

Take care and happy eating.