About Samantha

Welcome to Five Heart Home

Meet Samantha

I've enjoyed cooking and baking since I was a child. Growing up in the Hill Country of Texas, my German-born mother cooked from scratch, and we ate dinner together as a family every evening at 5:30 p.m. I have fond childhood memories of concocting cake batters and cookie doughs in the trusty, avocado green KitchenAid...of winning ribbons in 4-H Food Shows...and of orchestrating fancy, multi-course dinners (with the help of my "sous chef" little brother) when my parents' anniversary rolled around each year.

As a young newlywed, I stretched my kitchen skills and experimented with new techniques and ingredients. I set up a booth at the local farmer's market for a while to sell homemade cookies: "Samantha's Sweets: Gourmet Bake Shop." I hosted family celebrations and catered my own parties.

However, my kitchen creations had no choice but to evolve once I became a mother myself. Fixing so many meals for so many mouths, day-in and day-out, was exhausting and uninspiring. I went from having plenty of time for creativity to needing to get each meal prepared as efficiently as possible...while simultaneously tending to three young children and a hectic schedule. Not to mention the fact that I was very conscientious about feeding my family real food made from real ingredients.

Fortunately, with time, I figured out shortcuts and systems and tried-and-true, family-friendly recipes! So in 2013, I decided to start a recipe website while continuing to stay home and care for our three little ones (whom, at the time, ranged from baby to Kindergartener). Back then, I never could have imagined that what began as a creative outlet for my tired mama brain would gradually evolve into a thriving business and a full-time job.