Hi! I’m Mackenzie! Thanks for stopping by!

As of August 2015, I’ll be moving to Indonesia as a Fulbright Scholar with the U.S. Department of State. For those of you who found this blog for the recipes, I’m sorry to disappoint but I probably won’t have any new recipes for awhile. Instead, Never Skip Dessert will transform into a blog following my adventures as an English Teaching Assistant through the U.S. State Department in Palangakaraya, Indonesia.

While Never Skip(ing) Dessert is a literal rule I live by – I also hold it as a life mantra – whether it’s an actual scoop of ice cream at the end of the night or a meaningful conversation with someone I care about… I never want to skip the sweet moments in life. Thus, the name will stay the same but the focus of the blog is going to shift 🙂

I started this blog towards the end of my freshmen year of college (2012) and it has grown and transformed just as much as I have in the last three years. (So I apologize for some of the truly awful pictures and formatting from way back when – I’m slowly going back and fixing it all!) When I first started this blog, I didn’t have a kitchen in the dorm I was living in, so I learned to be creative with a toaster oven and an induction stove top burner!  My favorite recipes are ones with a long list of ingredients and a long list of steps but I promise that most of my recipes on here are tried and true recipes that aren’t too complicated. I try to live a healthy lifestyle, so many of my recipes will be health-conscious. But I do still love my sweets, so I’ve got plenty of desserts for you too!

I think life is always better explained through pictures – so here are ten things about me!

1. I just graduated from Washington University in St. Louis.

2. I am originally from Seattle and miss the rain and the beauty of the Pacific Northwest!

3. I have been cooking and baking since I was little and absolutely love it.

4. I spent this last May in Madagascar doing research for my Senior Honors Thesis (and playing with lemurs!) – read about my trip in this post!

5. I spent the rest of this summer interning for Senator Maria Cantwell in Washington DC.

6. I spent last summer in Indonesia interning at Standard Chartered Bank – and having the time of my life!

7. I have the most adorable dog in the world – her name is Calloway and she is a tiny bundle of energy!

8. I played varsity golf for WU

9. My brother Spencer is a phenomenal photographer. He was casually mentioned as one of the “top instagrammers who make you want to travel the world.” Oh, and he’s 19.

10. I have the best family in the world – I am so grateful for them and love them to the moon and back!