I like food, I’ll admit it.  Probably a bit much, but I bike and am starting to watch what I eat.

At the same time, I like to cook.  I’ve been doing it for years, watched just about every episode of Good Eats, and spent a lot of time looking at what I cook and how it’s prepared.

I have a few rules that on the face look (and probably are) contradictory.

• The recipes here are not intended to be the only way to make what is presented.  Cooking is certainly a case where getting to the plate is half the fun.  Unless you do something like substitute salt for sugar (or vice versa), it’s pretty hard to really mess up a recipe.
• A a corollary to the above, there will be recipes where I may have multiple recipes of the same thing.  There’s a few (chili comes to mind) where I never make the same thing twice.  It’s a nice place to let your creativity run wild and empty the fridge in the process.
• Do not feel intimidated.  It’s only food.  You can always make more.  Then again, if there’s a spot where there’s a ‘here be dragons’ area, we’ll tiptoe through it.
• I don’t like spending more than I have to, but there are times where quality comes at a price.
• You’re more likely to see me use foods you can easily get at a grocery store or (at worst) an Asian market.  Odds are you either already have many ingredients in your fridge/freezer/pantry.  If not, put that stuff on your list and stock up.
• I don’t consider myself a foodie.  You won’t see me talking about reductions or recipes that are overly complex.  There’s a lot of raw ingredients I just don’t like, so it’s unlikely you’ll see a recipe from me that includes mushrooms (if you have a recipe and would like to add something, please let me know, i’m always willing to consider submissions).

So get out your knife and fork and let’s go.