Getting creative with food...

Mini Lamb Burgers with Broccoli slaw

Is one of my favorite things to do. I like to try new foods, make something I've never made before or take an old favorite or classic and experiment with it. Some of the things I try are totally new to me and some are only slightly different expressions of what I have had or made before. Just like the mini burgers & slaw in the picture. A twist on a classic.

Like anyone out there I like to eat. Food is a passion for me. If I could I would probably be a food critic but then I would probably be a much larger and heavier man! I would most likely indulge in ways that I do not normally because my stomach isn't a bottomless pit. Although as a kid it seemed I had a bottomless stomach and two hollow legs. I was quite the 'oinker' back then.

When I was a kid my mother made large meals. She learned to cook in cafeteria style kitchens where you always made large batches, so when she cooked at home she made enough to feed a family of 8 even though we were only a family of three. Hence it can be deduced that my brother and I ate rather well. Second helpings were encouraged and there were lots of leftovers!

I was also taught early in life how to cook. My mother and the other women in my family all agreed that it would be a good idea if my brother and I learned to be modern men; perfectly able to fend for ourselves in any domestic situation. Therefore I learned from the age of 6 to: darn socks, wash/dry dishes, laundry, clean the whole house, make beds, cook, prepare for school and take care of others. As the 'man' of the house I learned early on how to take care of my younger sibling and my mama and more. The only thing not on that list was personal finances. I am still learning that lesson to this day.

One of my usual duties was to make dinner. By the time I was in my teens I was doing most of the cooking. Like my mother I made large meals and there were always leftovers. I love leftovers. Most food tastes better the next day anyway!

Thirty years later I am still cooking and enjoying it. I find that I am at my most comfortable when in the kitchen. Most any kitchen; if not mine then a friends.

I watch a lot of cooking shows, own a couple dozen recipe books and subscribe to sites that offer food advice and tips. My internet brower has a couple popular sites in the bookmarks so I can access things quickly. I learn a little something new all the time.

Food is so much fun for me. I like to cook for others and it pleases me immensely when others enjoy what I have made for them. My partner loves it when I cook and my ex stayed with me for 3 years out of love for my cooking.

I am not saying my forays into food experiments always work but 9.5 times out of 10 it does! Pretty good odds I would say.