Rod Stewart once sang, “Every picture tells a story, don’t it?” I more often find myself asking, “Every recipe tells a story, don’t it?”…or, as my husband would conclude, “donut?”

I’m Amy Buchsbaum, aka Trixie. I was born and raised in northeast New Jersey, a virtual stone’s throw from the quintessential foodie mecca that is New York City, and about a half hour north of the culinary deep sea treasures of the Jersey shore. After spending three years in Pittsburgh getting a pretty bland college degree in liberal studies, I relocated to Atlanta, where I met my husband, David (also from northeast New Jersey), and lived for 37 years.

Outside of climbing onto the stepstool my mother placed in front of her electric cooktop, and being taught how to make a scrambled egg at the age of 5, I’ve had no formal culinary training. However, from that point on, it became quite apparent that I embraced an unquenchable passion not only for all kinds of foods, but everything involved in the experience of food preparation, presentation and, of course, eating.

From a very early age, I was treated to a full range of culinary experiences and events, from street festivals in and around New York City and beyond to world-class dining across the globe. One of the more recent of these was the 25th Anniversary of the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival in Switzerland in 2018. What an extraordinary, unprecedented, and memorable treat that was for me.

When I got to thinking about it over the past few years, I realized that I’ve been keeping an ongoing, comprehensive mental catalog of virtually every culinary experience I’ve ever had since I was a kid. I’ve taken notice of how all of those memories have shaped my tastes, thoughts about and approach to food. I clearly remember the visuals, as well as the tastes and aromas, of virtually all of these encounters. It is this mental catalog that has come into closer view over recent years, and has shaped much of what my cooking looks like today. I’ve actually been building upon every personal food experience and tasty memory since the age of 5. As one can well imagine, there are so many.

In our quasi-retirement, and in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, David and I moved to rural southern Colorado where we set up “Trixie’s Mountain Kitchen.” I've found that everything I make, every recipe I create has a story. So, I decided to share some of them in writing, with a splash of attitude, a heaping measure of humor, a pinch of sass...and a dash of panache. While my initial goal was to marry my love for casual cooking and casual writing, my ultimate goal is to connect with others through the art, heart, and soul of cooking. No matter the dish, everything in Trixie’s Mountain Kitchen is created and seasoned with love. All of this considered, the publishing of my first cookbook, Trixie's Mountain Kitchen, a Lifetime of Recipes and Anecdotes From Big City to Big Mountain is in the works.

As an unexpected "bonus," if you will, some health challenges that my husband and I have encountered over the years have enabled me to offer some additional, seasoned cooking perspectives specifically geared to weight consciousness, lactose intolerance, as well as the improvement of the gastrointestinal microbiome through a low oxalate diet. I've had many years of experience preparing dishes that are low in sugar, fat, carbohydrates, and oxalates. These include healthful adaptations for sugar and dairy products, among others. While I am not an expert on any specific diets, the familiarity I've gained through these extensive practices by necessity has allowed me to create new and truly satisfying preparations for greater health consciousness and well-being. Conceptually, so many dishes can be adapted when these concerns arise. It just takes a little more creative thought.

As I've been arranging my thoughts and recipes in one place, I acknowledge that it is not my desire or goal to teach anyone how to cook. Instead, my hope is to support and encourage people within their own kitchen. I'd like to help remove some of the "I can't do that" stigma, and replace it with a boost of confidence where folks might say, "Well, I know what I like and what I don't like," and then use that understanding to instill a new and different approach. I'd love to nurture the ability and creativity in others to foster a level of personal culinary satisfaction that suits their tastes, their kitchen set-up, and their comfort level. After all, that's exactly what I've done in my own kitchen.

While I'll be sharing my recipes in my new cookbook, those which reflect my interpretations and adaptations, not only will I be offering a wide range of recipe ideas, but an open invitation to everyone to create their own interpretations and adaptations. If, in the process, I can bring a smile to anyone's face with my anecdotes, maybe create an interpersonal connection through a similar recollection or process, that will bring me the greatest joy.

In the meantime, I hope the pictorial representations within these pages will whet your appetite, spark a craving or two, and keep you coming back for more!

Welcome to Trixie's Mountain Kitchen.