Recipes That Don't Suck

Sept. 14, 2010 - PRLog -- For as long as I can remember, I have always loved food.  I remember eating lots of fruit and vegetables when I was little – bananas, apples and pineapples and carrots were my favorites.  Ah, the simple pleasures in life.  And of course, just like any kid, I loved cookies and chocolate.  

Growing up, I remember my mom making lots of great southern recipes – fried chicken, chicken fried steak, meatloaf, chicken pot pie, chicken and dumplings – just to name a few!  Oh, lets not forget the buttermilk biscuits.  Yummy!

Breakfast was always one of my favorite meals of the day.  Eggs, sausage, bacon, gravy – typical southern things were my favorites.  But I liked other things too – french toast, pancakes, hash browns (is there anything potatoes can't do?).  Well, I shouldn't say “liked”... I still like all those things.

I used to be kind of simple in my food tastes.  Okay, not simple.  I was boring!  I only at the things I grew up with, but as I got a little older I started to experiment more.  I started trying out different cuisines.  It's been quite a journey & I've discovered new favorites along the way.

The more I explored the food world, the more I WANTED to explore.  I started watching The Food Network and I got the itch to start cooking.  I'd never really made anything more complicated than a cheeseburger and fries, but I felt inspired watching these amazing people create delicious things in their kitchens.

I started out with my favorite cuisine – Italian.  Italian recipes are all over the internet.  I guess it's the favorite of a lot of other people, too.  I got pretty hungry sorting through all the recipes I was finding – lasagna, fettuccine, spaghetti.  Italian food has some of the most amazing ingredients, too.  Olive oil, pasta, basil, garlic, oregano, tomatoes, and of course cheese.  My favorites are mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano.  

After I'd had my fill of Italian, I moved onto Chinese recipes.  Everybody has Chinese food when they eat out, but I wanted to try to make mine at home.  I went to the store and loaded up on soy sauce, rice, chicken, sweet and sour sauce and some other various things.  Mos of the recipes were actually pretty simple!

Next up was Mexican recipes.  Who doesn't love good Mexican food?  This was another that I'd never tried at home (other than tacos, of course), but I was eager to try.  Chiles, beans and tortillas – ole! This was one of my favorite cuisines to learn – surprisingly easy for a semi-newbie cook like me.

Of course, I have tried just about any kind of cuisine that you can think of.  People often ask me what my favorite things to have on hand in the kitchen are.  I guess it really depends on what kind of food you want to cook, but some of my staples are:  flour, salt, pepper, garlic, wine, olive oil, pasta, rice, vegetables (bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, squash, lettuce, broccoli, mushrooms), bacon, butter, lemons, and limes.  

Thanks for reading and have a tasty day!!