Begin the begin.

I am a busy chick. Why am I doing this?

Well, for me, food isn't just sustenance. It brings back happy memories. It's an all-encompassing sensory experience. And sharing it is one of the greatest pleasures in my life.

I'm Southern-American and Eastern European. I had two grandmothers from very different cooking styles and schools of thought who could throw down in the kitchen. Pulling up a stool and watching them cook was my favorite way to spend time as a kid. Mama Dot would fry up chicken or bake a pan of cornbread in her cast iron and VecMom would go outside to her organic one-acre garden and dig up potatoes and snip dill for dinner.

Mom bought me my first cookbook--a Betty Crocker junior cookbook--when I was about six. I was fascinated by the photos. You can put sliced hot dogs on a pizza? You can cut sandwiches with cookie cutters? It fed my natural creativity.

My kitchen is overflowing with spices, gadgets and cookware. My bookcase is groaning from the weight of my hundreds of cookbooks. I use it all. I've learned from it all. I cook a lot.

I feel the need to document what I've learned and new experiences that interest me. Welcome aboard!