Friends and family have accused me of being a “foodie” to which I often rebuke. To be honest – I find it to be a compliment and also an insult. On the one hand, a foodie knows good food, has an acquired palate, appreciates only the best and freshest ingredients…most of which can be said for me. Well, maybe not the acquired palate part…but the truth is, I just like good food. It could be found in a five star restaurant or in a truck parked by the side of the road – or best of all in someone’s kitchen. I am not classically trained in ANY way – nor do I pretend to be. Any success that I’ve had with food is purely by trial and error and that omnipresent desire to eat delicious things. I have a husband and daughter who also appreciate good food – and who are also great cooks. So, among the three of us, I think we constantly keep each other motivated – either by oneupsmanship or by hunger…the nightly results are usually the same: good food to be shared and enjoyed – usually in front of the TV.
The intent for my recipes is for you to try them out and see what you think for yourself. Many of them were born out of a concept that I call “clean out the fridge” where I have NO idea what I’m going to make for dinner and have a bunch of stuff in the fridge that is either at its peak (aka just about to go bad) or doesn’t have a specific future for it, so I grab it and pair with something else – and something else and voila, dinner is served. I say this for one reason: As you create your own dinners feel free to substitute this for that, swap out ingredients, or leave something out altogether. In the end, you’ve got to like it (unless I’m coming for dinner, then I do too!) and what you like is what you like. Never feel as though you can’t make something just because you lack one or two ingredients. Just swap them for something else – or leave ’em out. The result can often be better than the original.
My hope is that if you don’t feel as though you can cook – stop that feeling. You CAN cook. All you need is a little confidence and the willingness to fail. But trust me – if you follow these recipes, you won’t. Maybe they’re not exactly to your liking…but you’ll be on a good start to making something that is!
Bon appetite!
