A large portion of my heritage comes from the UK.  Shoot, my mom’s maiden name – Kelly – is about as Irish as you can get.  But I know there’s some English and Scottish blood in there too…  Which must be why I absolutely love […]

One spring break in college I went home with my roommate. I come from a fairly normal, bland, Wasp-ish family with a Presbyterian background. I’m an only child. Life at home was quiet. Fresh veggies, grilled meats, and the occasional casserole dominated our dinners. My […]

Back in the 1970’s when microwaves were the height of modern technology, my mom took a microwave cooking class.  Since it was a new cooking appliance, people back then hoped and expected that entire meals could be cooked in mere minutes.  Of course, not many […]

I grew up in Florida.  I don’t live there anymore, but sometimes, I just can’t help myself – I need Cuban food.  And Tennessee is not exactly a bastion of Cuban cuisine, so I have to make it myself.  There a two things that just […]

When I was a teenager growing up in Florida, our family was lucky enough to “borrow” a friend’s beach house on Point of Rocks, Siesta Key, Sarasota for a week or so each summer.  Mostly, we’d just lay around, make our own food, take long […]

                                                                    I’ve been baking bread for many years now, but I like […]

I received a pizza stone for my high school graduation. Yeah, a bit odd, huh? I don’t remember whether I got it because I loved the homemade pizzas my aunt and mom both made, or because it was an effort to dissuade me from spending […]