Food by Lauren: Hi.

The obligatory "first post"... how shall I begin? Well, I've been thinking about starting a food blog for a while ever since I joined Allrecipes.com. I review recipes and post pictures there all the time, but you have to be a paying member to have a blog there, so... no thanks. My older sister, Jess, suggested that I start a food blog in a comment on one of my cooking pictures I had posted on Facebook (she has also repeatedly suggested I go to culinary school...hmmm). My interest and enjoyment in cooking has increased over the past few years but I still consider myself largely a beginner. I would estimate 75% of my cooking is done without a recipe (this does not include baking). I feel that's the best way to really learn how to cook...experimenting and creating on your own. But of course, I do need (and greatly appreciate) help from the pros from time to time!

Literally a week ago, I relocated from Philadelphia (where I recently graduated from Temple University...go Owls!) to Delaware (where my boyfriend, Paul, will begin grad school this fall). I'm still unemployed (thanks, economy!) and when I'm not job searching, I'm slowly unpacking the apartment and getting back into cooking. I figured since I have all this free time now, it's the perfect time to take advantage of it and cook as much as I can... as well as start blogging. This is the state of my new, bigger kitchen now:

I love it; it gets plenty of sunlight and opens up to a big patio out back. Quite an upgrade from our kitchen in Philadelphia. As you can see, last night I finally unpacked (almost) all our kitchen boxes and unloaded everything onto the counters & stove. Yikes...what a mess. It hasn't stopped me from preparing a few meals, though. Last night it was my favorite way to prepare chicken breasts: Melissa D'Arabian's Versatile 4-Step Chicken. I love this recipe because you can switch out whichever poultry, aromatics, seasonings, citrus, and green veggie you want (last night I used chicken, onions/garlic, s&p, lemon juice, and American broccoli. In the past I've done pork chops pounded thin, lime juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, spinach...the possibilities are endless). And, in the corner near the microwave, you can see my mini-crockpot which currently has a batch of homemade tomato sauce simmering away (blog post about that coming soon).

Anyway, this is my little blog. I hope to chronicle as many cooking adventures as I can, as well as our experiences dining out. I may write about non-food related topics from time-to-time, as well. We'll see! In the coming weeks I may back-track and do some posts about favorite meals I've made or enjoyed at my favorite restaurants in the past. For now, here are some favorite shots of foods I've prepared: