So, I've been thinking about starting one of these for awhile. This is just a short intro on what you can expect, and little about me.
I have enjoyed cooking for as long as I can remember! When I was about 11, I was in 4-H. I was entered in a large cooking contest, where we had to bring a main dish, create a sample menu for the rest of the items, and do a complete (and correct) table setting. I brought in a parmesan encrusted chicken that I made the recipe for all by myself. I scored 98%, and was one of the few to take home a special award! I was thrilled! I've been cooking ever since!
I was a vegetarian for about 5 years, which definitely meant that I had to become pretty creative at making food. There are only so many vegetarian options at restaurants, and it is hard to think of new ideas to make at home. I started eating meat again a few years ago, and was happy to try out some fantastic recipes that I had forbidden myself from eating for so long!
I finally felt like an experienced chef when I no longer needed to rely on a recipe to make a fantastic dish. I still use them as guides, and a lot of my recipes are collaborations of recipes found on the net. I very rarely use one as written, which I believe is the secret of making your food your own.
A few words on my personal tastes:
Likes: I absolutely love onion and garlic, and you will find this in anything I can even remotely justify. I also tend to like things very salty, but I have become much better about using less during cooking, and more on my own plate if necessary. I like complex flavors that meld together wonderfully.
Dislikes: I used to be very picky, but I have calmed that down quite a bit. There are a few foods I just can't eat, so I will rarely cook with: pork/ham (except for bacon or pancetta), veal, mayonaise, tons of basil, cauliflower, beets, and cream cheese.
So what's this blog about?
Well, I plan on typing an entry whenever I make a dish that I haven't discussed before, or if I make changes to a dish. Hopefully I'll have pictures for each one. I will also fill in with general cooking tips.
Feel free to pass this along to friends, and contact me if I can help out with any of these recipes, or with any other questions! Requests gladly taken as well!
