I'm no Martha

But I'm no Sandra Lee, either. So who am I? Well, I'm a working mom, twenty-year vegetarian, and pretty decent home cook.

Don't let the vegetarian thing throw you -- there's lots of stuff I make that's not seitan stew or whatever. Although I cook a vegetarian dinner for my family about five nights a week, I also experiment a lot with baking, canning, and other stuff that's not specifically vegetarian, but doesn't have meat either (Note: If there's meat in your jam or cookies, you're probably doing it wrong).

I often cook while alone in the kitchen and have a pretty lively interior monologue going. Today I was hosting my show, "I'm not Martha." I was frosting some sugar cookies using her royal icing recipe, and she recommends using a toothpick to spread the icing around. If you have never done this, imagine trying to apply your favorite lipstick with a thumbtack. It's bullshit, so I was using my pinky finger. And in my internal monologue, I was telling my viewers that no one will ever know. And I realized... I love cooking, and I am pretty successful at it, and I actually do have some tips I can share that could make it less intimidating to someone who is afraid you have to follow Martha's directions to the letter.

One example is that I make bread all the time, and people are always gushing over how good it is and how they could never do it, don't have the time, etc. Psh. I don't have time to make bread from scratch either. But I have a secret -- one I'll share soon. It involves looking for shortcuts, trying things out, and seeing what works. I have lots of secrets I plan to share, with examples.

What's with the blog name? Well, my daughter, who just turned three, frequently tastes my food and exclaims "You're the goodest cooker in the whole world!" And who am I to correct her grammar when she's so darned sweet?

This is just an intro post. I have every intention of talking more about food in the posts I write from now on. Mostly recipes, hints, tricks, etc. but I tend to wander, so if I write on trends, restaurants, or other food-related business, I hope you won't mind. It's my intention to share actual recipes so you can make them yourself, but even more so, to teach you to become the goodest cookers in your own kitchen.