From my mothers kitchen to mine ...

Image via Wikipedia Here I am, in my late 30’s; as if 40 isn’t breathing down my neck. Something about the "late 30’s" doesn’t sound as old as "almost 40". Anyhow back to the story; here I am in my late 30’s and if you asked me right now "When did you realize that cooking was part of your path" I wouldn't be able to answer that. To be perfectly honest with you, I am really not sure where my desire to cook and entertain came from. I have always loved cooking and the creative process of preparing and presenting a dish. Jay and I have always opened our doors to friends and family, hosting impromptu parties, not needing an excuse for any get together. Good friends and good food go hand in hand. Hospitality was just always something that came naturally to me and certainly not something I ever considered as my path.

I definitely don't have one of those heritage style cooking stories. You know those great stories of the young chef tugging at the apron strings of their grandmama as she added a pinch of this and a dash of that. Those little hands were begging to be part of the pure magic that only she could whip together. Listening intently she bestowed upon them the family secrets of the kitchen and the coveted family recipes known only by the select few lucky and worthy enough to be trusted. Knowing down to their core that food would be the center of their world and that they one day would be presenting a generous platter of grandmama's famous goodness to their family and friends and maybe even a restaurant of customers. Sadly, I didn’t grow up with grandparents in my life. one set of grandparents living much too far away and the other passing while I was too young to really remember them. My story is much more simpler and starts with my mother.

My mother was just like every other working mother of today, who avoided resorting to fast food and fed her children healthy meals everyday. Old reliables that could be cranked out in about 30 minutes after a long day of work. No disrespect to my mother cooking here. Some of those old reliables are my all time favorites and are always on special request whenever I come to visit.

Other then my high school home ecoomics class, I really don't have any formal instructions in cooking. I consider myself a 'self taught home chef'. Much of what I have learned such as how to hold a chef’s knife and what the various fresh herbs can be used for or paired with, is from hours and hours of Food Network shows and reading cookbooks. Silly as it sounds, instead of a sweet old grandmama bestowing upon me her grace and knowledge of the kitchen, I have an Ina Garten, Paula Dean, Bobby Flay, Martha Stewart, and Rachael Ray. I have also just recently taken to reading many of the cookbooks I have collected over the years and have started to purchase more. This last Christmas my mother gave me Martha Stewart’s Cooking School and I am pouring myself over the pages learning about various cuts of meat and cooking techniques. I have found my instructors and eagerly take in the lessons they teach hoping to someday have a young chef tugging at my apron strings as I add a pinch of this and a dash of that, begging to be part of the pure magic that only I could whip together.

While cooking has become my creative outlet, I truly believe it really isn't all that hard. If you can read and follow basic instructions you can cook. This is what I hope to do with this blog. I hope to inspire you to venture past your old reliable’s and try something new, maybe even teach you something too. I will always be a student in the kitchen, and as I continue to learn and be inspired, I hope to have you along as a guest at my table sharing in my foodie finds.

Deborah.