Well, here we go... I've decided to start blogging. All of my previous foray's into the blogosphere have been more about family updates and that sort of thing, so this concept is new (and a little foreign) to me. I want to blog about food now. Nothing is quite as satisfying as watching my loved ones enjoy the food I've prepared... it really is like a drug to me.
(my little foodie testing out a batch of homemade buttercream)
I'm a mother of a two year old. He is the apple of my eye and the reason I have the Funny Farm on speed dial. I love cooking, and especially baking, because it's almost like therapy to me... I can easily get lost in a fantasy world of fig trees, bursting with ripe fruit, begging for a dollop of chevre and a sprinkling of almonds. Luckily for me, my son loves trying new foods, my husband eats just about anything I put in front of him and I have neighbors and friends who help unload some of the goodies... so it's not going all to my own hips. Although, some of it does eventually find it's way there...
(my first fresh black mission fig of the 2011 season)
I have a dream of someday my husband and I being able to buy a home with a little bit of land (we currently reside in a two bedroom townhouse,) where I can grow a garden full of lush, organic vegetables and herbs, have a chicken coop that will supply us with fresh eggs every day, a goat (or two,) which I would happily milk and try my hand at making my own cheese and, of course, a few fig trees. Sustainability is a very big focus of mine and since I don't have the option of growing a big vegetable garden right now, I try to purchase locally and organically whenever my finances allow it.
(my favorite treat: roasted figs, topped with goat cheese and slivered
almonds... I also drizzled a bit of local honey on top.)
Credit is due to my dear friend, Judy Tallant of Tallant House, for introducing me to so many new flavors! She is the pastry chef my husband and I chose to create our wedding cake and she and I became great friends. I've been lucky enough to be able to intern with her a bit over the years and she has been instrumental in opening my palate. I had my first fresh fig in her kitchen while making gallettes for an upcoming wedding... my life has never been the same.
Here goes nothing...
