Unsophisticook

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • ✽ Easter ✽
  • Reader Favorites
  • DIY & Crafts
  • Subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • ✽ Easter ✽
  • Reader Favorites
  • DIY & Crafts
  • Subscribe
×
Home

About Me

Tara Kuczykowski founder of Unsophisticook.com

Hey, I'm Tara!

I'm an almost empty-nester just trying to figure out how much to cook for dinner! My husband Luke and I live in Ohio with a varying number of our 5 kids on any given day, but a little oceanfront bungalow is our dream...

Curious to learn more about me? Keep scrolling for some fun facts. ❥

What You'll Find Here

Delicious, no-stress recipes for every day! Think tasty, satisfying meals that are simple to make and full of flavor — perfect for busy weeknights or weekend cravings...

  • Easy Recipes: My focus for every recipe is to make it as quick, easy, and flavorful as possible! Every ingredient serves a purpose, and I provide substitutions when possible.
  • Clear Instructions: I aim to provide straightforward and concise cooking instructions to make preparing them simple and approachable for all skill levels.
  • Smart Strategies: As a mom of 5, I have an arsenal of methods and hacks to streamline dinnertime that I've gathered over the years. And I share them all! BTW, I'm still learning too: did you know not all kosher salt is the same?

No fuss, just Good Food Made Easy!

Not sure where to start? Scroll through my current Top 10 Recipes below. Or check out these Reader Favorites where I showcase my readers' all-time most-loved recipes & how-tos!

Top 10 Recipes

  • sliced grilled cheese sandwich on parchment paper
    Oven Baked Grilled Cheese (SO EASY!!!)
  • cream corn casserole recipe like grandma always made it
    Easy Creamed Corn Casserole Recipe (Just Like Grandma Made It!)
  • crispy fried tuna patties on white parchment paper with fresh Italian parsley and lemon wedges
    15-Minute Simple & Easy Crispy Fried Tuna Patties
  • olive oil pasta recipe on a white plate with a gold fork
    Simple Pasta with Olive Oil and Garlic (Pasta Aglio e Olio)
  • chocolate pudding shots recipe in plastic cups
    5-Ingredient Basic Chocolate Pudding Shots
  • paloma drink recipe made with squirt and tequila plus limes and a pinch of salt in a highball glass with a red stir stick
    Easy Paloma Drink (Tequila and Squirt!)
  • easy tuna casserole recipe topped with bread crumbs plated with a gold fork
    Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole
  • sausage dip recipe in a crockpot with tortilla chips
    3-Ingredient Rotel Sausage Dip (Crockpot or Stovetop)
  • 2-minute easy peanut sauce in a weck jar
    2-Minute Peanut Sauce For Dipping & Dressing
  • 3-ingredient Lawson's chip dip in a ceramic dip bowl with potato chips
    Lawson's Chip Dip Copycat (The BEST Potato Chip Dip!)

more about me...

Fun Facts

  • I was captain of the varsity cheerleading squad in high school, but I opted to play rugby in college. Kind of a 180, huh?
  • In spite of my mom intentionally mixing all my food together as a child, I absolutely, positively cannot stand to have different types of food touching on my plate! Oh, and I eat everything one at a time...
  • All of our kids are named after baseball in some way. Yes, even the girls. Go Cubs!!
  • In my "spare time" a few years ago, I wrote a book on time management: All In Good Time. That's right — NOT a cookbook!
Outer Banks, NC moonrise

Favorite Things

Surprisingly, life with five kids doesn't really slow down once they're older... 🤷🏼‍♀️

But in my limited free time I enjoy reading (especially while floating in our pool), live music, and binge-watching the hot new series of the moment (currently: Yellowjackets).

A few other things I absolutely adore:

  • 🚘 My JEEP
    I have a snazzberry '22 Wrangler Rubicon 392XR, which I totally adore. #thatcolor Top down, doors off, mood UP!!
  • 🌊 The 4x4 beaches at OBX
    Corolla, NC may just be my most favorite place in this whole, wide world. I took that OBX moonrise pic above at Carova Beach. It's definitely a contender for our future home!
  • ☕️ My morning bulletproof butter coffee
    I make mine by blending grassfed butter, MCT oil, a dash of cinnamon, and a pinch of fine sea salt with my coffee.
  • 🍻 The local craft beer scene
    We're always up for checking out one of the many small breweries in Ohio, especially if there's a live band on the schedule.
  • 🗓️ My Google calendar
    I still tell my kids every single day: "If it's not on my calendar, it doesn't exist in my world!" I'm honestly not that organized in any other aspect of my life, but when it comes to my calendar, I'm ON TOP OF IT.
  • 🐶 #ScarletTheWeim
    Last, but not least, is Scarlet, our 9-year-old Weimaraner pup. Make no mistake, she rules the roost and is waayyyy too smart for her own good! "Move your feet, lose your seat" is her MO, and her favorite snack is... ICE. No, I'm not even joking!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by, and I sincerely hope you'll stay awhile...

Happy cooking!! ♡
Tara Kuczykowski, Unsophisticook

P.S. If you're interested in contacting me, find those deets here. I love partnering with brands I'm passionate about, collaborating with other bloggers, and of course I REALLY love hearing from readers!

Tara Kuczykowski, founder of Unsophisticook

Hi! I'm Tara.

nice to meet you!

I'm an almost empty-nester just trying to figure out how much to cook for dinner! My husband Luke and I live in Ohio with a varying number of our 5 kids on any given day, but a little oceanfront bungalow is our dream. My fave things include cooking + baking (obvs!), beach days, my JEEP Wrangler 392XR, and a cold paloma drink…

More about me

Easy Easter Treats

  • easter dirt cups recipe made with just 4 ingredients
    The Cutest No Bake Carrot Patch Oreo Dirt Cups For Easter

  • no bake birds nest cookies with peeps chicks and candy eggs
    Chow Mein Noodle Birds Nest Cookies

  • rubber cement eggs with gel food colors dye
    How To Color Easter Eggs With Rubber Cement Technique

  • hard baked eggs are the easy way to make hard boiled eggs in the oven
    How To Hard Boil Eggs In The Oven


Easter Dinner

  • instant pot ham topped with crushed pineapple
    Easy 3-Ingredient Instant Pot Ham (Ready In Just 30 Minutes!)

  • cheesy hashbrown casserole recipe in a white ceramic baking dish with a wooden spoon
    3-Cheese Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

  • cream corn casserole recipe like grandma always made it
    Easy Creamed Corn Casserole Recipe (Just Like Grandma Made It!)

  • marinated tomato salad recipe in a white ceramic bowl with a black and white striped kitchen towel
    Hungarian Marinated Cherry Tomato Salad (Paradicsomsaláta)


Footer

↑ back to top

Disclosures

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Disclosure Policy
Privacy Policy
User Agreement

Newsletter

Sign Up! for emails and updates

  • Amazon Storefront
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Unsophisticook

About
Contact
Recipe Index
Reader Favorites
DIY & Crafts

as seen on:

Copyright © 2010–2025 Unsophisticook
Unsophisticook™ is a subsidiary of Table for 7 Media, LLC