who are you and why are you dancing in your kitchen?

hello world. my name is cherie...and i LOVE cooking. i like to think that in some ways i'm old fashioned. i don't own a microwave (to the shock and awe of everyone i tell), i HATE using pre-made, pre-cooked, "convenience" foods of any sort, and i think being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen is a beautiful thing. so...call me old fashioned. i don't care. i'll take it as a compliment.

ok, so back to the cooking...that is, after all, what this blog is about right? oh...and the dancing thing. right. no, i am not a dancer. i do however dance and sing to just about every music there is, while cooking in my kitchen. if i'm cooking/baking, and there is no music, either the radio is broken, or something is wrong, and you should duck to avoid a rolling pin being hurled at your head.

so, this blog is going to be filled with recipes that i love, or ones that i am trying for the first time...whatever!! i'm not too picky. all i know is that i want to keep track of what i cook, what kind of changes i made, what worked, what didn't, what i did wrong, and what i think i should try next time. i'll try to incorporate photos when at all possible, and i'll also try to let you know where i got the recipe from. i can't always promise to do that, as i don't always know myself...but in those cases, i'll just change the name, and no one will be the wiser...right??  :)

so, other than that, you may want to know some things about this strange person that you will be taking cooking tips from. maybe...or maybe no one is there, and no one cares. either way, here i am. black and white, and a million shades of grey.

 in addition to the first paragraph, some things that you may like to know are as follows:

1. i am a 31 year old wife, and mother of 2 incredibly fabulous children. owen is 5 and ella is 2. they are the world's cutest, and don't even try to argue with me on this...it's just that way.

2. if i could go back to a time period, i would go back to the 40's. women were feminine still...fashionable, but feminine, and cooking didn't need to be quick. it contained ingredients that hadn't already been assembled, and it took time and effort and LOVE to cook your family's food. you could wear pearls in the kitchen, and people didn't call you "julia". it was just what you wore that day...and the food was amazing. or at least i like to think it was.  <3

3. i do not own a microwave. i think they make your food taste awful, and they remove any trace of nutrition. they radiate...radiation, and i just don't like it. it's a $100 counter clutterer that society has made you think that you need...when all you really need is a bit of foresight, and some hope that what you are going to make for dinner will take more than a push of a button...and will taste incredible.

4. my husband David is my best friend. why is this important? well, it is. he supports me, loves me, and brags about my cooking to everyone he knows. :) that makes me feel like all the hard work and effort i put in it, is TOTALLY worth it! he is funny, and charming, and romantic. he helps me clean up, and take care of the kids. he is super husband extrordinaire, and i felt like he deserved his own paragraph. i could continue, but i would need an entire new blog to explain how incredible he is. :)

5. I am NOT a professional chef. (although my profile on allrecipes.com says i am an "expert"). I merely have a passion for cooking, baking, and everything involved.

6. I am your average, ordinary, fun loving gal. i don't have a giant house, with a huge kitchen. i don't have all the latest gadgets and gizmos. I used to try to "keep up with the jones'...until i discovered that the jones' are nuts. i try to keep my life and my kitchen simple and uncomplicated...but my kitchen is usually the one who wins that fight. i will post photos of my kitchen in the not too distant future, and you will see for yourself.

i'm sure there is more i could tell you, but i'll just leave that till later. once i've cooked something and i'm sharing it...i'm sure all sorts of stuff will come up.

thank you for sharing in my blog. i don't know if i'll actually have anyone read it, but hey...it's good for the soul.

cheers and happy dancing.