Spice Cabinet My dad is bigger than your dad!

I'm sure my wife is tired of being told how "lucky" that is (not me). I know who is the lucky one. While raids across the country in '90, trying to build a career in sales and marketing, she has strong and up to three children (which, inter alia Have They do not mind being told good luck!) Almost single-handedly. I'm lucky, you just click! However, in a stereotyped way, when we meet friends and acquaintances in social contexts, whetherconversation is about food - and often - my wife happens to hear: "You are sooooo lucky husband cooks!" (Looks like a woman followed me!)

I am a gourmet, but let me say for the record, the spouse, man or woman whose partner cooks three or more times a week in luck - especially if the quality of food in general very high (as if our house). My interest in food, in particular the preparation of it, goes back 30 years to my pasta with tunaday like a pot in my student life. My mother dough to tuna casserole was a staple in my house during my formative years, so when I rented my apartment for the first time in the second year of college, my roommates were introduced tuna casserole Clara. I took because it was easy. The rest, as they say, is history.

After several years alternating between a tuna casserole, sausage, chicken noodle soup, Campbell's and Domino's Pizza, it was time to put things to another level. After all,Man can not live in peace Domino's! After a brief period he worked as a cook at the school at a famous restaurant hometown, I knew my way around a kitchen a bit '. I ordered something for Christmas in 1980 - a cookbook - and true to form, Santa came to my Betty Crocker cookbook (actually, it was the mother). Until then, I had no roommate, and when cooking was not the most efficient, but continued, however, decided to expand my cooking horizons. Itand behold, the litter quality began to improve!

I married my wife in the summer after graduation, and I was in the kitchen ever since. My second cookbook - the cookbook classic The New York Times - was a gift from my stepmother. I have been very useful with a sketchbook and a box of sweets as a child, but I chose a career in art is not, so I think I found the food was ordered. This allowed me to satisfy my creative tendencies whileIt offers a very practical - that everyone has to eat.

House Rule: should not end, but at least they try.

It 'really the only hard and fast rules on the table Our home and allowed us to significantly expand the palates of our children when They were young. This can be a double-edged sword, because if I dared to serve a meat dish without sauce, I would be sure to get the evil eye of my daughters. "Why, dad, no sauce? From MayExcuse me? "Ultimately, my children have grown up with a significant appreciation of good food and the effort it takes, not to mention the importance of fresh ingredients.

As you can imagine, our dining table for ten friends of our children over the years, and the rule applies at home too. The only exception because of allergies. Therefore, we are exposed to hundreds of children in the kitchen I've ever known, and has expanded her culinary world in the process too. OurFriends of Children knew - and know more - an invitation to dinner at Stauffer was a special occasion, and we are fortunate to have many of them will join us once again.

What about our friends? And 'this house rule applies to them too? Of course! Have friends to dinner with us, or organize a group to a football match or a holiday represents some of our most enjoyable and memorable social events. Our idea of a good time is hanging out with friends, eating in some classeshomemade goodies accompanied by fine wines and a few cocktails. For us, there's nothing better.

God Bless The Internet

I firmly believe that if you can read a certain extent, you can cook. Thus, given the basic supplies and equipment needed, there is no reason for anyone to eat bad or mediocre food, if you have access to a book or online. The main resource for recipes has become world class withoutquestion, the Internet. Web sites like Epicurious.com, Allrecipes.com FoodNetwork.com and - just to name a few - have become my main source of new revenue. To some extent, the web has virtually eliminated the need for the average consumer to buy expensive cookbooks. Most sites are user reviews, so a good rule is to stick to recipes that receive the highest rating. Many sites also include degrees of difficulty and nearly all the reviews include estimates of preparation time, so thatnovice or beginner can determine if it is faced with a prescription. The highest score on Epicurious.com, for instance, is four forks. Never download a recipe from a number of groups on average less than 3 1 / 2 forks, and usually I just pull four forks rated recipes. By the time I earned enough revenue for downloaded from the Internet to complete a 3 1 / 2 "folder" D "and add to the collection routine.

Ladies, said that the fastest way to a man's heart through hisstomach. Guys, what I say, works in reverse too. Ask my wife and my daughters and wives of my neighbors and my friends' wives! Bon Appetit!