Life is Like a New Recipe - You Have No Idea How It Will Turn Out!

This blog is funny. For those who know anything about me, anything associated with me and cooking is funny. I wear a LOT of hats - I am a runner and I teach art, and I have two awesome kids. ALL of those things are commonly associated with me.

But cooking...?

While I know enough about cooking to keep my family alive (during breaks when the college dining hall is closed), I'm no Rachel Ray. Heck, I don't even know enough to be Rachel Ray's sound grip (whatever that is).

But this summer is different.

This summer is dedicated to cooking. And rumor has it that MANY people are interested in my culinary journey (okay, maybe only four people, but I'm okay with that...)

This is not crazy cooking. These will not be recipes with names you can't pronounce or that call for ingredients that require air travel or online shopping. In fact, one fact you need to know about me is that I live in a small town called Due West. Yes. "Due West". Allow me to give you some facts about Due West, SC:

- There are no grocery stores here. That's "no", as in "none". Not a one.
- We have a Farmer's Market. Well, we did once. We might have it again. Maybe.
- Other than a Mexican Restaurant and a Subway, there are no eating establishments here. None, as in none.
- We have a Dollar General. If it's in a can or box and it's before 8:00 pm, the DG is your place.

Thus, the recipes that I will be attempting will be simple - unless I get crazy or get a day-pass to the nearest Whole Foods market, which is one hour away. These recipes can be made while filling sippy cups and texting the office ('cause that's how I roll). These recipes may or may not be fabulous, so I'll be honest about that, too. In fact, I have a food review board on staff to test each and every recipe for quality assurance. My food review board consists of a picky 5-year old, my 'already cooks better than mom' 12-year old, my husband of 16 years (who has loved me through the casserole phase, the healthy food phase, the what-the-heck-is-this? phase...), and an entire staff of collegiate baseball coaches.

What I've already learned is that life is like trying a new recipe: everyone tells you it's great, but until you do it yourself, you just don't know how it's gonna turn out.

Let's get cooking!