My first post!

As an avid home cook, I've been intending to start a food blog for some time now. So, I figure that I'll take this first post to introduce myself and talk a bit about the things I like to cook.

In a nutshell, I fell in love with cooking as soon as I was old enough to beg my mom to let me help her in the kitchen. I grew up romanticizing tomes like Larousse Gastronomique and Julia Child's "The Way to Cook". Fortunately I had parents who were more than happy to indulge my obsession and were nice enough to fund even my more extravagant kitchen ventures. Fast-forward to now: I'm 24, married, working full-time, attending grad school, and striving to keep myself and my husband healthy. Thus, I seek out meals which are quick to prepare, low-calorie with a particular predilection towards whole, unprocessed, seasonal foods, as well as staying within my grocery budget. Oh yeah, and it has to taste good, too.

I'm addicted to my crock pot, and I've used it for everything from Moroccan tagines to Mexican mole. I love recipes and cookbooks but I never follow them from start to finish. I've practically made a hobby of taking a recipe and scaling back the fat and calories. I love a huge variety of cuisines but my husband teases me for adhering to French technique. I live in Florida and have an amazing bounty of produce and seafood.

Oh, and I make my own cheese :)

Anyway, I hope you stick around and enjoy!