My cooking style

I thought a good place to begin would be to talk a little bit about my culinary style and background. I am mostly German and grew up in the kitchens of my German family members. My earliest memories are of deliciously prepared comfort foods. Thankfully I was very thin as a child so this type of eating was divine. Now that I am older, less thin, more time restricted and growing into my own food style my style has changed.

I love beautiful, fresh, light foods. (Not that I never enjoy my old roots of comfort cooking.) I love mixing not only tastes but also textures and colors. To me the perfect meal is not only palatable for the tongue but also for the nose and eyes. Accomplishing this with limited time, a small kitchen and two toddlers can be the tricky part.

My cooking mottos are:

1. Don't be afraid to experiment
2. Don't cry over spilled milk... or burnt bread...or soggy vegetables
3. Be organized
4. Be prepared

The last one is probably the most important for me. I sit down with my "cook books" (I will talk more about my books later) on a monthly basis and I make lists. I create a master list for the month which simply outlines meals, what ingredients I will need and how time consuming they are. Then each week I plan out my meals. I sit with my calendar and consider what days I will have time to be in the kitchen and what days I won't. It sounds complicated but once you get your science down it is a breeze. Plus, you rarely eat the same meal over and over and over. No cooking ruts!

So that's me in a cooking nutshell.