the obligatory "why you should trust my recipes" post

Yes, most people explain themselves in the first post of a blog. But I've almost always done things backwards. Plus, I figured the recipes would speak for themselves.

But last night it occurred to me that if one never gave the recipes a chance because one didn't see any reason to think I know what I'm doing, then perhaps we'd circular logic our way back to needing an introduction.

So here we go:

Born in New Orleans to a Jewish caterer (mom) and a self-taught cook and food-lover (dad), I've certainly had a lot of influences on my palate. Some of my earliest memories are of helping my mom wrap 500 wontons in our home kitchen, rushing to fill the sufganyiot before our Chanukkah guests arrived, and listening to my dad ask Frankie the waiter at his favorite restaurant on the West Side to "just feed me." To this day, I'd rather eat my stepmom's bolognese sauce than any other in the world.

I was lucky enough to spend a few years living in both California and New York, which opened me up to the benefits of fresh produce and local ingredients (CA) and the wonders of culturally diverse cooking (NY and CA). Living in NY also reinforced my Jewish roots (I've been longing for a good bialy since about 1999).

Throughout my childhood and youth, I helped my mom in the kitchen. Her baked brie and dijon chicken recipes were favorites with her clients (and us kids!). One of my favorite activities was (and still is) watching my dad make a gravy from roast chicken or turkey breast drippings.

I started cooking on my own in college, mostly because I found that the best way to get a crowd of friends together was to make them something to eat. Though I worked at first from other people's recipes (mom's, dad's and stepmom's), I eventually figured out what flavors pleased me the most and simply created a repertoire of haphazard trial and error. Most of it ended well.

I don't imagine I'm much better a cook than most home chefs who really care about what they serve and enjoy the process, but I've been told cooking is the business I should really be in, asked how much I'd charge to prepare a thanksgiving dinner, and enjoyed many yummy faces aimed in my general direction - so I must be doing something right.

Also, happy birthday, Dad.

Okay, enough about me. Back to the food.