The history behind the chef

When I was little, I liked to help out a little bit in the kitchen. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, I was usually responsible for making the fruit salad, and doing most of the taste tests. I guess I have a good palate. When we lived in Rowlett and my dad was working in Houston, mom used to play restaurant with us. We would sit at the coffee table and mom would come and take our order with her pen a pad of paper. I thought it was so much fun. It was my mom's creative way of making dinner fun. When I was in high school I started watching The Food Network, which really got me interested in cooking and food. I would make recipes that I saw on tv for my family. I realized that cooking wasn't hard at all. It is a way I can be creative. I love homemade food. I especially love creating homemade food. I love to eat something, or see food and then going into the kitchen and trying to create my version of that particular dish. Cooking is a little bit tricky for me since my husband is such a picky eater. Veggies are not a staple in his diet, therefore I have to take my creativity to another level. It is always a big challenge to make food that we both enjoy, without boring my taste buds. I would say that I can attribute my style of cooking to my mom for teaching me the basics, my grandmother for her authentic southern homemade cooking, and my dad for throwing a little creativity in everything that he cooks. I by no means am a cook by the book. I pretty much eyeball and guess and create everything I make. I very seldom make a recipe step by step...I might follow one or two steps in the recipe, but I add my own twist the rest of the way. I cook from scratch better than I cook a box of macaroni and cheese. I am my own biggest critic, and my husband is my guinea pig. I can honestly say, I haven't made many things that he doesn't like. Me, on the other hand...I always think I can do better!