Welcome to my Kitchen

Good food brings people together. I have chosen to create this food blog in an effort to combine three of my greatest loves, my family, cooking, and writing. I have become a bit of a Food-Network junkie as of late. It started as an interest, mostly because it's tame television to have on while kids are around, and has quickly turned into an obsession. I love watching these chefs who really know what they're doing, start with nothing and create such masterpieces. I envy their abilities and always head to the kitchen determined to create something masterful myself. I'm an amateur chef at best, but I am determined to get past the dinner doldrums. It's amazing that I have come to this place. As a child, I was somewhat of a fussy eater. I can remember many a night, sitting at the kitchen table until long after my siblings were done, just trying to will my mouth to swallow peas. That's still a difficult one for me, but my taste in all other areas of cuisine has widely expanded. To the point of being thrilled with the idea of presenting something to my family and having them turn back to me and say, "This is the best *chicken, pasta, soup...fill in the blank* I've ever had!" Of course, their variety of chefs is very limited at this point, but if I can do better than I did last week, then that's a win for me.
I love the precision that cooking takes. Timing and measuring to ensure things come out 'just right'. A dash too much of this, or opening your oven a moment too soon can make the difference between a triumphant soufflé or a inedible flop. When so much of my life is geared towards racing to the final product, rather than joy in the journey, I love the strict timeliness that cooking takes. There aren't many things you can fake in the kitchen. So, if you care to come along for the journey, I plan to expand my cooking horizons past the Old El Paso taco kits and frozen foods section and begin to create some tantalizing treats in the kitchen, and to see what recipes make it to real print in my recipe binder...and who knows, maybe in the process I might create some great memories and an opportunity for my family and I to share a moment together around the dinner table each night.