You can't cook it if you don't know what it is.

Ahhhh, the Grocery Store. That place full of food and stuff. The place we've been to thousands of times in our lives, but never really get to know.

The Hot Pockets? Over there!
Lunch meat? Got it covered.
Ground Beef? I know right where that is.

Kale? Ummm, huh? Mango nectar?! What on earth to do with that?!
Why would anyone need to buy a WHOLE BAG of flour? Why is some butter salted and some unsalted?

Have you ever really just looked around? Taken your time and browsed the grocery store like you're window shopping in a fine department store?

My challenge to you: Go to the store... alone. No kids. Find a way to swing it, even if it's 11pm at night. Look around slowly. Browse. Find something you've never eaten before and buy it.

Google is your friend, so find a recipe... any recipe... with that ingredient and make it. It could be something as easy as tofu or as unusual as smoked turkey legs. Think outside the box a bit and stop cooking the same old, same old!!!

Next.... I'll probably post some recipes to get you started since we all know you probably won't do any of ^that^ ;P

Why I blog....

I'm not a blogger, at least, not yet. However here I am, typing away like I think I know what I'm doing.

So why am I doing this?! When more than one or two of my friends suggested I blog about the food I cook, suddenly I felt like I might have something of actual usefulness to impart! Perhaps I can share my love of all things yummy and delicious with the masses!... or at least the two or three people who will read this.

Food: Yeah, yeah. We'll get to that, but first I want to talk about my general food philosophy: Eat good. I am constantly amazed by the way a lot of people feed themselves and their families. Not to be all Judgey McJudgerson, but cooking doesn't have to be a chore! It doesn't have to be the last thing on the "How to get food in my belly" list ....
1. Take Out
2. Eat Out
3. Buy prepared meals
4. Eat frozen meals
5. Cook something

Now, I'm all for quick and easy meals here too. I'm not some organic-loving, farmer-market shopping, grass fed-beef kinda girl. You will see me shoving chicken nuggets and mac and cheese at my children, and you will see me eating canned soups and chili (Gasp! The Horror!) but for the most part I put some thought behind what I cook.

I started to get the impression that a lot of my friends WANT to cook, but we grew up in the TV Dinner generation and well, honestly, cooking doesn't exactly come naturally for a lot of people anymore. They want to be able to feed themselves and their families without too much effort (let's face it, we're used to instant gratification these days) ... but cooking is a casual thing that can just be a part of your day, as simple as taking a shower or doing laundry.

So that will be my next post: The Grocery Store.
Don't be scared. I'll hold your hand.. and eventually we will get to The Food.