Why I cook

I'm excite as I sit down to write this post because I have found that so often I don't truly understand myself or why I do what I do, until I blog about it. My posts often change completely as I write them because the act of typing allows me the chance to figure out what's going on in my brain.

As I write this post I truly don't know the answer to "Why I cook" but I know that it is quickly becoming a passion and I'm looking forward to figuring out why.

When Justin and I were first married some 17 years ago we moved across the country to a foreign place with no friends, no family and no clue about what our new life would bring. I wanted to be a good wife and bring something to the table and I found that I could do that quite literally by cooking.

 I had decent cooking skills for a 19 year old thanks to my mother who always cooked us homemade meals and Justin was great about complimenting my dinners, even when they weren't so terrific. I soon started associating cooking as a way to express my love for my family. I saw it as my job to feed them and when they enjoyed the food I prepared, I was doing my job well.

So here it is, for me cooking is an expression of love and no matter how crazy my work schedule is, I can still care for my family by making them a great meal. It's something I can consistently do for them even if Im not around as much as I would like.

Over the last few years my passion for "loving" my family via food has exploded. In an effort to streamline my dinner prep I started creating a meal plan strategy. I talked about my "list" here back in May of lat year. As I started hunting down new recipes I soon discovered a whole new world of possibilities. I had no idea that I could make food that tasted so good.

Wala! A home chef was born. I strive to cook better, I strive to love better, and lets face it good food brings people joy. You can't get any more perfect then that!