I suppose introductions are in order

Let me preface this blog with an introductory disclaimer/dedication/informative entry.

I'm not a foodie nor do I pretend to be one. I have no formal culinary training (unless you count that one afternoon I spent at the 7777 building in Tysons Corner, Virginia learning how to make pasta with my mom). I come from a mix of simple picky eaters on a farm on one side of the family to reform Jews full of tradition on the other. I learned to cook by watching. Watching the women in my family, watching food shows, watching friends mother's cook, aunts, uncles, etc. Watching watching watching. All of these people influenced me in their own ways, but none of them have had quite the effect my mom has.

My mom was different. As a single mom raising two kids and working her tail off at up to 3 different jobs at a time, you would think she would not have much time for food and cooking, but it was quite the opposite. My mom is an amazing cook. All through my youth, she made it a point to explore food, sample the flavors of other nations, and incorporate variety into our lives. She'd look at me and my brother and say "what country do you want to visit this weekend?" and off she'd go to the library to find cookbooks of that country and come up with some fun meal for us to eat. She made cooking fun and always let us help whenever we wanted. As we got older, she even encouraged my brother and me to cook dinner for the family.

More than helping though, I loved watching her cook. There was something about her style, her flare and finesse, that sucked me in and I could literally spend hours just watching her cook without saying a word. Even now when I visit her, if she's cooking, I find myself plopped down at the table trying to carry on a conversation but mostly just watching. It’s almost magical in a way.

When I wasn't watching my family cook, I watch cooking shows. My mom actually introduced cooking shows to me and I remember countless weekends of PBS cooking shows. Oh old school PBS, how do I miss thee? This was during the early 80’s long before cable took over the world and I remember sitting on the couch or in the bed with my mom watching the Frugal Gourmet (you know, before he was outed as a pedophile), Yan Can Cook (“if Yan can cook, so can you!”), Julia Child, Graham Kerr, and that Cajun guy Justin Wilson. Mom would scribble down notes and recipes, tips and tricks as we laughed along with Yan or Julia.

Eventually cable entered our lives and brought with it more cooking shows. I remember staying home on sick days watching Great Chefs of the World/East/West on the Discovery channel and being enthralled by it. I clearly remember the day I learned from a West episode that not only could you eat rattlesnake, you could also eat cactus! Eventually the PBS and Discovery Channel shows faded out and Food Network empire began it's reign. Even then I remember the early beginnings when Emeril was quiet, Ming Tsai actually had a show, Bobby Flay was a sidekick to a redneck, and no one had a clue who Guy Fieri or Rachel Ray was. Two Hot Tamales, How to Boil Water, and Ready Set Cook were the OG's of Food Network.

Cooking shows aren’t even limited to just learning channels or the food network. It’s expanded everywhere. Competitive cooking shows are rising and now I have Top Chef and Chopped and Iron Chef to challenge how I think about food. And even though there's a seriously disproportionate ratio of douchey/trendy cooking to genuine cooking, I'll still revert to Food Network when nothing else is on because how can you go wrong with food?

At this point you’d think I’d pour out my greatest coking desires, knowledge, and adventurous tastes. Alas, that is not the case. Actually in contrast to the rest of my family, I'm considered the picky eater. You won’t find me eating lobster, caviar, truffles, fine wines, sushi, or bacon infused anything. I also have texture issues and really despise mushy vegetables, vegetables full of seeds, fungus (you may call them mushrooms, but I simply refer to them all as fungus), and most seafood. I don’t eat pork either (something of great disappointment to the man in my life) but it’s not because I’m Jewish. It’s because I've developed some sort of allergy to it and it makes my physically ill. It’s such a shame too because bacon really is divine. (So is prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.) That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate good food though, I just have issues.

Despite my fascination with food and cooking shows, I'm not that adventurous in the kitchen. I’m a very simple cook and I am more inclined to aim for perfection of a meatball recipe than to try and make something new and complicated. It’s just who I am. So if you're looking for trendy or gourmet recipes or want to criticize my lack of proper methods or training, you've come to the wrong place.

I make no apologies, I cook with my hands, I curse a lot, and have even been known to cook in my lingerie. If you don't like it, well then move along. I'm a simple cook with simple recipes, but I put love into my food and for the most part it comes out pretty damn tasty. I'm carrying on some old family traditions and making new memories of my own and sharing it with you.

Love it or leave it.