I come from a long maternal line of “non-cookers”.  My mom could only cook homemade biscuits, albeit the best biscuits I’ve ever tasted.  Everything else we ate came from a can or the frozen food section.  My grandmother’s cooking was mediocre at best.  As a matter of fact, I think I’ve blocked out most of her cooking.  I loved my grandmother and she provided the nutritional needs of eight kids and eighteen grandchildren.  She provided our nutritional needs; but not our cravings.

It wasn’t until recently that I became interested in cooking.  With a new marriage, a woman gets a new sense of femininity.  And, with that newfound femininity, you have the urge to explore all aspects of being a woman, both old and new.  The maternal instincts kick in; and you want to provide for, nurture, and comfort your family.  Falling in love with my husband also made me fall in love with cooking.

I love to plan and prep for a meal.  I love thinking of my audience and the mood I want to set.  I love finding the perfect Spotify soundtrack to blare in the kitchen as I dance around the stove.  And I absolutely love watching people take that first bite of something I’ve made just for them!  There really is no comparison to the high you get when you can visually see the little moment of joy you’ve given someone with your cooking.

A good meal is more than just some ingredients thrown together.  A good meal is an expression of love.   Thought goes into it. A good meal takes and evokes feeling.  And a very good meal will serve as a memory trigger and a source of comfort and reflection during the hard times.  You wouldn’t believe the amount of times I found myself down and out while living on the coast, just thinking to myself, ‘I could really use one of my Aunt Tammy’s chili and slaw burgers.’  Mind you, the burger literally consisted of mayonnaise, cabbage and chili.  But it wasn’t the ingredients I needed so badly.  It was the feeling of comfort that I felt being in my Aunt Tammy’s kitchen, playing dominoes with my cousins, eating a chili burger and fries.

So that’s what brings me to this new chapter in my life.  Once I discovered the “art” of cooking; and the power of a good meal, I  realized that food , much like music, and transcending.  Everyone, despite race, religious or political affiliation, loves some good ass food!

Because food equals happiness, I want to explore its depths; and share it with you.  Here, I will share your recipes and memories and try to bring as much comfort and happiness to the world as my Aunt Tammy’s 3-ingredient chili/slaw burger does for me!

So…. Welcome to my kitchen and welcome to “If This Kitchen Could Talk”.

I come from a long maternal line of “non-cookers”.  My mom could only cook homemade biscuits, albeit the best biscuits I’ve ever tasted.  Everything else we ate came from a can or the frozen food section.  My grandmother’s cooking was mediocre at best.  As a matter of fact, I think I’ve blocked out most of her cooking.  I loved my grandmother and she provided the nutritional needs of eight kids and eighteen grandchildren.  She provided our nutritional needs; but not our cravings.

It wasn’t until recently that I became interested in cooking.  With a new marriage, a woman gets a new sense of femininity.  And, with that newfound femininity, you have the urge to explore all aspects of being a woman, both old and new.  The maternal instincts kick in; and you want to provide for, nurture, and comfort your family.  Falling in love with my husband also made me fall in love with cooking.

I love to plan and prep for a meal.  I love thinking of my audience and the mood I want to set.  I love finding the perfect Spotify soundtrack to blare in the kitchen as I dance around the stove.  And I absolutely love watching people take that first bite of something I’ve made just for them!  There really is no comparison to the high you get when you can visually see the little moment of joy you’ve given someone with your cooking.

A good meal is more than just some ingredients thrown together.  A good meal is an expression of love.   Thought goes into it. A good meal takes and evokes feeling.  And a very good meal will serve as a memory trigger and a source of comfort and reflection during the hard times.  You wouldn’t believe the amount of times I found myself down and out while living on the coast, just thinking to myself, ‘I could really use one of my Aunt Tammy’s chili and slaw burgers.’  Mind you, the burger literally consisted of mayonnaise, cabbage and chili.  But it wasn’t the ingredients I needed so badly.  It was the feeling of comfort that I felt being in my Aunt Tammy’s kitchen, playing dominoes with my cousins, eating a chili burger and fries.

So that’s what brings me to this new chapter in my life.  Once I discovered the “art” of cooking; and the power of a good meal, I  realized that food , much like music, and transcending.  Everyone, despite race, religious or political affiliation, loves some good ass food!

Because food equals happiness, I want to explore its depths; and share it with you.  Here, I will share your recipes and memories and try to bring as much comfort and happiness to the world as my Aunt Tammy’s 3-ingredient chili/slaw burger does for me!

So…. Welcome to my kitchen and welcome to “If This Kitchen Could Talk”.

Just remember one rule- spread love; and put your dirty dishes in the sink!

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.