Pride & Joy

Ok, so I'm kind of a dork about kitchen stuff.

I don't get really excited about fancy gadgety things. I do, however, get VERY excited about workhorse-type tools. I love to cook - but I'm not very speedy & I make a serious mess. So items that improve my efficiency in the kitchen are a big deal.

And if they happen to have the added bonus of looking good...? SOLD!

With that in mind...my Kitchen Aid stand mixer has gotten a bit of an upgrade. While it was simply lovely on its own - powerful, efficient & easy to clean - now, it is also a thing of beauty...no?

hee!

I may not cook quite like my hero, Alton Brown - but there's no reason I can't be just as sassy while making the attempt.

P.S. I just added a new link to Fridgewatcher. I think it's absolutely fascinating, your mileage may vary...

By way of introduction...

Let me just start off by saying the forthcoming meal was not supposed to be my first entry.

My first entry was supposed to be a classic, Italian-American tomato sauce with meatballs. How exciting! For days, I thought about how I would lay out the ingredients & take loving pictures of sausage links. Oddly enough, those thoughts didn't show up on Sauce Day.

Well, that's not entirely true...the thoughts, they were late. Everything was happily sizzling & splattering in olive oil when I realized that I hadn't documented so much as a single clove of garlic. Yeah. Not happy. Plus, imagine the fun in trying to explain to my little Nonnie (my assistant for the day) why I was artfully arranging cans of crushed tomatoes. Ah well...

Since I now have a freezer crammed with packages of thick, meaty, tomato-y goodness - that one's going to have to wait. In the meantime I give you...Pasta with Sausage & Broccoli! (We have fancy names around here - take note!)

This was a spur of the moment decision. I needed to dispel the funk of blowing the PERFECT FIRST ENTRY (there was much sighing & despair). But hey, look! Sausage! I should have the entry up over the weekend.

So I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures in the kitchen. Keep in mind that much of the stuff here will not have wacky ingredients or crazy techniques - there are plenty of other blogs for that. I am not a fancy person & the main audience for my cooking is not a fancy eater. (Hi honey!) I just want everyone to come, hang out & feel free to share their own experiences. Mangia!