Because I like to play with my food

I know, I know. The last thing the world needs is another blog. So let me start by stating that I'm doing this for purely selfish reasons, namely to give myself an enhanced sense of purpose when playing in my kitchen. Also, I'm running out of people I know who let me talk about food all the time.

My caveats: Although my dad makes the best gravy and fudge in the world, I actually grew up in a family that did very little cooking. Because I love to eat, I made it a point to start cooking when I was fresh out of college -- and also to start exposing myself to all the foods I'd missed along the way. I'm entirely self-taught (with nary a Home Ec class to my name) and I definitely have my likes (chocolate) and dislikes (seafood). Some of my recipes originated elsewhere, and I'll do my best to give credit where credit is due.

That being said, I'm pretty fearless in the kitchen. I'll attempt anything; the worst that can happen is it doesn't turn out and we grab a pizza. As my husband says, not every recipe is a winner, but you never find the winners without trying a few losers. I don't think I'm a food snob; I simply like good food.

So we'll give this old-fangled blog thing a try. Big kudos to my friend Dave for getting me out of my slump, and also for patiently taking my pretty pictures.