De Ma Cuisine

About

The sound of a knife slicing through fresh vegetables, the smell of garlic hitting a hot pan, the look of a French baguette just out of the oven – crusty, golden, steaming… I love the art of cooking. The presentation on a plate takes thought. The ingredients in a dish need to compliment each other (in flavor and appearance). Even the planning of a menu is like a perfectly arranged symphony of tastes and textures.

It’s my art, my passion, what I love to do.

I love to cook, and all that goes with it (maybe not the clean up). I love to gather recipes, plan menus, grocery shop, peruse Farmers’ Markets, and eat! I love the smells and sounds of food as it’s chopped, as it cooks, as it sizzles… I love food. I’ve also recently discovered gardening, and love to cook with fresh ingredients grown just outside my door.

The way that I cook is by doing what works. If I don’t have an ingredient, I use something else. If I don’t like a recipe, I change it. I don’t measure much (which is probably why I’m not great at baking). I won’t discredit or skip a recipe because I don’t like an ingredient or don’t have it (although this doesn’t apply to baking – there are some things that can be substituted, but most ingredients are there for a reason… I’ve learned this the hard way).

I love to be goofy and weird, but am also serious and can get emotional when it comes to food. It’s so important to me, to eat well. Seasonal, organic produce is key. I believe that empty calories are simply empty. It frustrates me that it has become less beneficial to eat fruits and vegetables that contain the vitamins and minerals that pre-made and packaged foods are fortified to include. That convenience has become the only thing that we think is good for us.

My challenge is to make this our norm: Fresh, local, organic, and in season fruits and vegetables; pastured, organic meats; whole milks and cheeses, the best olive oileggs with bright orange-yellow yolks. Sure, we will eat a pre-packaged salty or sweet treat, if we need it, once in a while. But, the goal is to eat real food, real food, REAL FOOD. And my desire for this site is to empower you to eat well.

Along the way, I have been inspired by so much.

My Husband Who loves to eat, who enjoys my cooking, who encourages me, who loves me unconditionally.

Julia Child Who was the kind of cook that I want to be. I wish I was more like her. She fascinates and inspires me.

My Parents Who love family, cooking, nature, and photography. I love seeing things in me that are traits of theirs. I love that I am their daughter.

My Brothers Who are fun, loving, kind, generous, and great cooks! We laugh a lot together. We cook well together. They live far away, and I miss them.

Friends Who appreciate my cooking, who compliment and encourage me. Who act like my menu planning is a real gift. Friends who are as interested in cooking and nutrition as I am. Friends with or without culinary degrees, who share a love for really really good food.

Other Bloggers I love the blogging world that I am still relatively new to. I’ve learned a lot, and will continue to glean from and appreciate other bloggers.

Photography I have always loved artistic, edgy, awesome photography. The kind of art that can move me to tears. I appreciate a well composed photo, but there’s just something about a photo that’s got a little more to it that makes it real art, to me.

(Photo snapped by Joanna Waterfall.)