Are you a FOODIE, too?

I'm a FOODIE ! I hang out with other foodies, too.

This is the crowd I was with this weekend.A crowd of 165 or so Certified BBQ judges gathered
for the 2010 Pork In The Park BBQ competition and I was,
as usual, among them.

So, what exactly IS a "FOODIE" ?

We are folks who enjoy food with all of our senses. We love to eat it, of course, but we also study it, talk about it, read about all kinds of foods, prepare it and experiment with different flavors, cooking methods and presentations and such. We follow food news, trends and fads. New restaurants catch our attention. We watch food oriented TV shows, films and documentaries, often while paging through a culinary magazine or book. You'll find us at food festivals, wine tastings, brewery tours, cooking demonstrations and competitions - anywhere other food aficionados gather. We are quite literally obsessed with all things culinary, and we're not searching for a cure.

That's how I see the direction of this blog - an information and discussion outlet for all things culinary. If it has to do with food, it will be fair game for this site!

I hope you'll join us for this magical mystery tour through all things edible !!!

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I guess you're wondering just who I am.

For over twenty years, my husband was the chief cook in our house. I've always liked to cook but he's the one who had time on week nights. He got home hours before me and was literally chomping at the bit by the time I came in each evening. He always says he learned to cook in self defense - he was hungry!!

His skill and expertise came as quite a surprise even to him. While he started out doing simple meals, he quickly learned to add a spice or two or to try a different preparation method. He gleaned tips from the Food Network and felt a kindred spirit with Rachael Ray. (They both like fast meals.)

When I stopped working in the legal field and became a housewife (by choice) a few years ago, I took over the daily cooking. (He now claims to have forgotten how.) I'm not a big fan of measuring cups and tend to just throw a "splash of this" or a "splish of that" into my dishes (Yes, there IS a difference between a "splish" and a "splash" .) and so, evolved the name of this blog!

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Sneak Peeks at things to come...

In the first year I was at home, I put together a 250 page family cookbook featuring recipes from 5 generations on both sides of our families. I tried to make it a very special publication by including family stories (about food), essays about those family cooks before us who are no longer with us and those I called the "Cooking Divas" who are still with us today. I included loads of old and new family photos, humorous cooking quotes and anecdotes and even some food-oriented cartoons. I used a basic word processing system and printed all 36 copies on our little old home printer. I'm planning to get started on a supplement in the near future. I think every family deserves a journal of this sort and encourage all of you to record those recipes for posterity in one form or another. In the weeks and months to come, I'll bring you stories of other families' efforts in this endeavor and give you some guidelines for producing one of your own.


As mentioned above, I am a Certified Judge for the Kansas City Barbecue Society. My husband and I are part of a hearty and brave troop of happy eaters who trudge from one competition to the next where we are forced to sample some of the best slow-cooked, wood smoked meat known to mankind. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it. In the next few days, I'll tell you a bit about the very special world of competitive barbecuing. Later, I'll bring you some interviews with some of the cook teams and maybe even convince some of them to share a guest blog with us.

I am part of the Etsy world (an online marketplace) and have discovered some fantastic craftspeople there that do crafts related to or inspired by food. I'm working on some feature articles about some of these folks and their fantastic creations.

Of course, there is news of food festivals and events coming this way, too!

There's a lot more, too - book reviews, recipes, food trivia, and more...

Y'all come back now, ye'hear!