About

In 2009, my husband challenged me to start a blog…so I did just that!  Here are some fun facts about me…

I like using ellipses in writing (I’m aware it’s not grammatically correct.  I’m a 30 something who would prefer that my full-time job included reading cookbooks, spending ridiculous amounts of time in my kitchen and feeding people I love (sigh) and excluded everything else ! But alas, I have a real 8 to 5 that involves a desk and a chair and an office and a lot of spreadsheets.  So I manage to squeeze in time to daydream about food and share some of my gastronomical adventures here with all of you.

I don’t like frosting…I have a hard time with oatmeal…I love artichokes…I could eat them for dinner night after night without tire.

I adore cooking eggs, but I don’t always like to eat them.  Desserts on the savory side of sweet have a special place in my heart…I think California produce is a bit overwhelming (there’s so much of it…all the time!)…I’m torn between my CSA and weekend morning trips to the farmer’s market.

I collect cookbooks…as in, they just keep accumulating and it’s a lot easier to explain if I use the word ‘collect‘…I’m trying not to be such a wuss when it comes to spicy food…really I’m trying!

It’s a toss-up between mashed potatoes and pizza for my favorite food…apparently I’m a 12-year-old boy…fennel and peas are my latest vegetable obsession and I really wish I made fresh bread and pasta on a daily basis.

Also…I don’t like milk on my cereal…what’s that…?…I heard you judging…I just have a thing against soggy foods…and cereal with milk is truly the king of soggy!  There is nothing wrong with eating grape-nuts dry!  Nothing!  🙂

I’ve taken photographs of my food for a long time (starting in middle school).  I still have one of the first…actually it was tucked into a journal I had long ago.  It is poorly lit Polaroid of ‘Pasta Primavera’ made entirely by me at the wise old age of 13.  Taking polaroid photos of your food did not make me popular…I know, you’re SHOCKED!  I pushed through…kept my obsession a bit of a secret and then suddenly the internet made my work socially acceptable – thanks epicurious, foodgawker, tastespotting, google recipe search, food blogs, foodie revolution, etc.!

I worked in restaurants in college, both front and back of house.  Upon graduation, I headed to Europe, more specifically, Paris, where I enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu in the Intensive Cuisine de Base course.  I returned to the states, moved to Boston, managed to snag a position at a french restaurant in Back Bay and learned how cruel the world of professional cooking really is.  I lasted less than 6 months and shifted my career focus back to education and working with youth.  Mainly, I realized that I would rather cook for myself and my loved ones in my own kitchen where I make up all the rules than in someone else’s place.

I love being in the kitchen and through the years have found myself working in small cafes and coffee shops but only as long as I truly enjoy it.  If it’s not fun…don’t do it!

Hope you enjoy…and as always…THANKS for reading!