I am not a chef. As the title states, I am simply a cook...at home.
I've never been to culinary school. I have not worked in a restaurant kitchen. I don't think I've even taken a cooking class, unless home economics in high school counts (thanks Mrs. Crumley). But for whatever reason, I have always loved to cook. My first memory of cooking goes back to when I was about 12 years old and we were about to take a trip to a family cottage in Canada. I remember making homemade spaghetti sauce with my Mom's help to take with us to the Canadian wilderness.
Most of the cooking I did during my teenage & college years involved a blue box, plastic bag, or delivery food. After graduating from college I moved back home with my Mom for a year or so. She kept the pantry & fridge full and in return, I did most of the cooking. My cooking has evolved over the years and I now prepare just about everything from scratch. I am a big supporter of the local food movement. I try my best to eat what is in season and to buy as much as I can from local farms. I have belonged to a CSA - Community Supported Agriculture the last two seasons, I am a frequent shopper at the local farmer's markets, I buy in bulk and freeze or can produce from our local farmers produce auction, I purchase most of my meat and eggs directly from Plum Creek Farm (chicken, veal, duck, turkey, & eggs) and Bluebird Meadows (pork & beef), and I occasionally even forage for food in the wild. I feel very blessed to live in an area of the world that has so many wonderful, high quality farms and other food sources.
So now I start my next culinary adventure, cooking my way through Michael Symon's Live to Cook. Through this process I hope improve my ability to prepare simple, delicious food, while improving my technique. As Symon says on page 18 of the book, "In the end, great food is nothing more than this: great ingredients and sound technique." I hope you find my blog chronicling this adventure interesting and that it inspires you to follow the words of Michael Symon...live to cook.
