The Beginning

For my 10th birthday my maternal grandparents gave me my first cookbook. They knew I had been cooking burgers and things for the last 3 years. I still treasure this book. Mom could do a good holiday meal and adult appetizers for parties, but her day to day meals were not something I wanted to eat (sorry Mom). Lots of canned vegetables were featured. Her mother, an West Virginia girl, didn't cook much either, dining at restaurants and the Club almost every day, so mom didn't have a good example.

Dad lived all over the world as an Army brat. He would eat anything. There was much eating out and his mother cooked only a few family favorites, leaving most of the cooking to her cook. So when dad retired he got interested in cooking something other than BBQ, some say in self-defense. He and I would watch Julia Child and Justin Wilson together. Then we'd see what we could cook up. I hadn't cooked much in the college dorm, so this helped re-ignite the passion of my youth.

When I moved to Waycross, Georgia I learned about real Southern cooking. This was not something I knew much about. I have fallen for slow cooked foods, collards, cornbread, cobblers. All the C foods...

Later I lived for a short while in Lebanon. I learned to cook middle eastern food from women who didn't own cookbooks. They shared so many wonderful recipes that I never wrote down. I will now though! This is still one of my favorite cuisines.

Julia and Justin taught me to just cook, cook, cook. It will be okay and get better with practice and patience. Now with the Food Network I have found a lot of new cooks and chefs who inspire me to keep trying. You will find some of their recipes here, some with my touches added.