I was just about to post my very first recipe on the blog, when I thought I should probably post this first…
Disclaimers:
1. I have zero qualifications for cooking and/or evaluating food. Well, I suppose that I DO possess the qualifications of having taste buds and being able to identify what I like and what I don’t like. That is it, but it’s all I need. I will tell you what I like, and I will try to explain why. That’s the best I can do for you.
2. I don’t always measure things. You will just have to get over it – I did. My Grandma (who is known for her amazing yet completely fabricated on the spot soup recipes) often writes in a recipe: “[ingredient] – as much as you think.” Well if I’ve never made something before, then how the Hell am I supposed to have a clue what to think?! I still don’t have an answer to that question, but it hardly ever bothers me anymore. You will figure it out.
3. I taste stuff while I’m cooking, and I don’t wash the spoon each time. Some people might find this odd about me, since I have often been “accused” of being a germaphobe. I wash my hands a lot. No, really – a lot. I avoid touching public door handles with my bare hands. Do you have any idea what disgusting things linger on door handles? Ewww. I also refuse to let my students use the pens and pencils from my desk; I actually keep a box of “writing utensils” that anyone can use, but mine stay separate. There is a perfectly good reason for this: I chew on the tip of my pens. Yes, I know. This is repulsive. But it is less repulsive when I am the only one who touches the pen, because I know that I have clean hands. I wash them a lot, and then don’t touch the door handles, remember? But I do taste the food while I’m cooking, then put the spoon down, then use it to taste the food again. It is a part of who I am. If you can’t handle this, then you should eat somewhere else.
* I promised my husband that I would actually go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight, and it’s already past my bedtime…so no recipe tonight now. Sorry – maybe tomorrow. If you’re lucky.