Who knew it would change my life? (Well almost.)

First off I want to say welcome. I hope that the ride continues for a very long time and you can enjoy every post and minute of the ride with us. I hope you to can walk hand in hand with us on our journey.

So a little background on myself. I am a guy. Lets get that out there. I do my fair share of the cooking around here. I love to cook. I love to cook things out of my garden and cook new things. But is hasn't always really been that way. See that picture down below. It contains what started it all. Can you see it???



All the way in the back you see that tome. Ya in the back. That huge chunk of dead trees. The one that any librarian would be happy to have in the encyclopedia section of there book vault. That book is the Joy of Cooking. If you have never heard of it or don't have it go get it. Go get it now. Stop reading click this link. I'll wait....

Okay you back? Great. That book will tell you everything you ever will need to know about cooking American food. It has done to American cooking what Julia Child did for french cooking. We use that book almost every night in our home. Want to know how to cook dumplings? Page 321. How about Chutneys? Page 63. You get the idea. But guess what. That wasn't it. That is part of my love. It was a present when we got married, and we use it more then almost anything given to us on that great day.

But go look again. See that white bowl in the front. The one with the chip on the rim and a crack just forming in the front and a little to the right. That is really what did it. How could a bowl give me my love of cooking. Well you wouldn't know that because you haven't used it. If you had, you like me would seek opportunities to use it again. Its porcelain and heavy. Right there in the front is a second bottom, an edge you can set it on when your mixing your goods. That is right it has two bottoms!?! One for straight up and one for about 75 degrees. The perfect mixing bowl. I want to use it. I want to use it again and again. When I start cooking I grab it first. I want to make pie (page 856 in JOC) in it. I want to make some Hollandaise sauce (page 55 in JOC) in it. That got me cooking. Strange I know.

When we got married that was given to us. I started using it for simple things. You know, like eating my cold cereal in it or a hand full of screws. But I found I like it, so when Erin needed something mixed I volunteered. So it got me in the kitchen. After that it was easy to keep me there.

So thank you bowl. Thank you. May you continue to make my life happy, I am pretty easy to please.