I grew up a picky eater, and a stubborn one at that. I also grew up as a people pleaser. Naturally, that causes some internal tensions.
They worked hard on this, I should eat it.
But it has mayo on it.
Can I scrape it off?
No, it’s all over it. I’ll say I’m not hungry and then make a PB&J later
– Internal monologue 1997-2008
That led me to start cooking for myself – mostly an astronomical amount of starches and perfecting the grilled cheese – and along the way I started to enjoy the discovery and preparation of new foods.
Around 2015-16 I started cooking for roommates and friends more often. As I became more confident, I diverged from recipes with more freedom (to many failures and some successes).
I started taking notes on random slivers of paper around our kitchen, which would get lost. After making the same mistake I had outlined on one of these lost scrolls for butternut squash mac & cheese, I resigned to put some order to the madness of my musings.
I found an old red notebook I used for my last semester of college, and a quick leaf through seemed to show enough space to start scribbling.
So, now I’m creating this blog as a nod to the notebook. I plan to archive recipes I’ve worked on (both for my own brain and easier sharing with friends), post new ones I’m working on, and drop tips for others to consider in their own exploration.
A Red Notebook 