Is this thing on?

Welcome to my kitchen and my new site. This endeavor is twofold: as a platform for me to share my passion of cooking and food with my family and friends, and as a method for me to record my own recipes. I am notorious for making a dish once, and then not remembering how I prepared it. It is incredibly frustrating.

My plan is to document my daily meals on this site--the good, the bad and the inedible. I have an aversion to processed food; I try to use fresh, homemade ingredients whenever I can. You'll find my food healthy, fresh, and most importantly, adaptable. I am not a professional chef, nor do I pretend to be. I am, however, in love with cooking and eating real food.

My kitchen is my respite. It is both meditative and exhilarating. I have been fascinated by cooking since I was a young girl, rushing home to watch Great Chefs of America on the Discovery Channel. Most of the credit is due to the 'culinarians' in my life, specifically my mom and Grandma Joyce, who have instilled in me their love of family, and how food is a vehicle for that expression.

I feel lucky to have the resources and will to attempt to join this very creative and witty culinary community, as I watch with delirious envy at some of the beautifully executed sites online today. I hope you'll find this site unpretentious and approachable. My eyes, ears and mouth are open to any suggestions you have. Feel free to email me, hailskitchen@gmail.com.

As my dad always says, I hope this site leaves you "fat and happy."

Cheers!
xoH