I like to cook, and thought it would be fun to add a category containing some of my favorite dishes.  These recipes are recycled, meaning someone else invented them.  One of my favorite sites to get recipes from is epicurious.com.  I also watch family members while they prepare dishes I enjoy, and then I recreate those dishes in my own home.

Three people who influenced my cooking most:

1) My mother-in-law: born in Italy, this woman is an expert at whipping up simple, hearty dishes in 30 minutes or less from unclaimed items in the fridge that everyone, including small children, loves.  I swear if you handed her a banana, a toothpick and an anchovy, she could make something incredible.  Truly inspirational.  Following her example, none of the dishes she taught me to make are written down.  Instead, they are seared into my memory, ready to be recreated at a moment’s notice.

2) My maternal grandmother: 90+ years young, self-described cook to no less than 30 guests each night, territorial about her kitchen, able to hold a conversation with three different people on three different topics while successfully sauteing, baking and slicing the most delicious fare you ever tasted.  Upon request, she sent me at least 40 different recipes hand-written in her distinctive cursive.  I absolutely treasure these cards, both for the recipes themselves and for their ability to remind me of time spent with her.

3) My father: a messy, slap dash cook who manages to tweak existing recipes just enough to make them more flavorful.  He didn’t actually teach me to cook.  Our two egos wouldn’t fit in the same small space.  Instead, his example as a single dad ensuring I got home cooked meals at least three times a week and consultations with him once I became an adult helped me round out my cooking abilities.