a (not quite brief) intro

Even though I don't foresee many people reading this who are not already my friends, I feel like I should introduce myself (or more specifically some things about me and food)...

First thing first, I've been a vegetarian since I was around 8. My parents are not vegetarians, although they are not huge meat eaters either. For some reason people always seem to think it's strange that I decided to stop eating meat so young. Personally I think it's strange to sit kids down in front of Charlotte's Web and then expect them to eat bacon. Talk about mixed messages. Of course my reasons for not eating meat have changed and expanded as I've gotten older. I do eat eggs and dairy, but I also try to use substitutes (like buttery spread or veganaise) for day to day cooking. I am wild about cheese though. So if you are a vegan, or a meat eater looking for a new way to cook chicken, this blog may not be for you.

Then 3 years ago I met my boyfriend James who told me pretty early on that he didn't eat vegetables. Usually when people say this to vegetarians they are trying to pick a fight, but in James' case he wasn't exaggerating at all. Meat, Cheese, Bread- these were the only food groups he acknowledged. Lettuce and tomato were even banned from meat sandwiches. So obviously this presented a challenge when we moved in together and started sharing meals on a regular basis. It's funny because I've always wanted to be a contestant on one of those cooking shows where they give you very specific rules on what you can or can't use in order to make your dish. Be careful what you wish for. To be fair, the list of acceptable vegetables has drastically expanded over time, which I think he gets some serious points for (I certainly haven't tried pork chops or something for his sake). Since I think this extensive research shouldn't go to waste, I'm going to put "james approved" tags on recipes he will eat. I can't say that it will automatically mean a veg-phobic eater in your life will eat it, but you can give it a shot.

Another thing I should mention about my cooking is that I'm not very precise. Some people look at recipe and see a series of rules that need to be followed to get the desired meal. I prefer to think of it as more of a suggestion. I do own measuring cups and spoons, but I'm not big on using them. When things say teaspoon I usually pick up an actual teaspoon...and yes I know that they are all different sizes, and yes this is why I'm terrible at baking. I am going to try my best to figure out how to convert this cooking method back into recipe form for you. It may work. It may not. But seriously- when in doubt, just taste it.

Most importantly I should say that I'm not a chef (obviously) or a stay at home anything. I work full time, so whatever I cook starts at 630 when I get home and needs to be inexpensive enough to fit within my this-city-is-too-expensive-for-me budget. I promise almost everything on here can be made quickly, cheaply, in a kitchen the size of a large car (like mine), and with minimal cooking gadgets. It's tempting when you feel like you're rushing towards the end of your day to eat junk, buy takeout, defrost whatever. I certainly do that too. But it's when I take the time to make even the simplest dish for myself, that days seem longer and less rushed. Your meals get to be a pause or even a restart button from everything else that's going on. Hopefully this will give you some ideas on how to do that for yourself.