Start Here

At State of Dinner, you will elevated comfort food recipes that fit your life, whether you are looking for something quick for dinner or you want to impress people at the next party!

Is this you?

• Enjoying flavorful food is important to you! Dinner from a box just isn't going to cut it.
• You love cooking and making delicious food for the people that you love.
• You are also really busy and need your everyday dinners to be fast.
• You want impressive recipes for special occasions, even if it means spending a little extra time in the kitchen.
• You want to teach your kids about cooking and the history of food.

If you said, "yes" to any of the above then we are going to get along so well!

I'm Erin Gierhart, owner, and creator of State of Dinner. I have almost 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry.

In addition to developing crave-worthy recipes, I am also your expert on knowing if your food is safe to eat. I learned a lot by teaching food safety classes as an administrator with the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals. And I am here to pass along that knowledge to you!

As a mom of 3, I was traveling frequently for work and my husband traveled for his job as well. Our life was BUSY! But preparing delicious meals and having dinner together as a family was important to me. It was such a challenge to figure out how to do that when we were all going in different directions throughout the week. By curating a collection of family favorite recipes that were easy to make, we were able to keep family dinners a priority.

Most of the dinner recipes that you'll find here can be made in under 30 minutes. They are designed with the busy family in mind! But I truly believe that food should be a delicious and joyous experience, even when it is fast. So these recipes are flavorful meals that your whole family can enjoy.

By the way, can you call yourself a foodie if you skip out on indulgent recipes? I don't think so. That's why you will also find my favorite dessert recipes and impressive dishes for entertaining. These are tried and true, fully tested recipes that you can count on!

I also share my family's journey of exploring iconic dishes from each state throughout the US. These are recipes that you can cook along with your kids, teaching them the history of food and building their appreciation of the cultures across our nation.

Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to my weekly newsletter and each Sunday you'll get an email with the latest posts, along with menu plan ideas and occasional bonuses. I'm glad you are here!

Ready for your new favorite recipes? I love all of the recipes on this site. But here are a few that are big hits with my whole family. These are the recipes that we have on repeat.