Quick update or, why I haven't posted in the past couple months

Well, so much for my plan to make up to eight new dishes each month and blog about them. The weird thing about life is that life gets in the way, right? Some days I just don't have enough energy or drive or passion left to make myself dinner, let alone be creative in making dinner. It's hummus and pita chips for me! 

I've started catering on the occasional weekend this spring for a local production company shooting an indie film. I've found the most difficult part of any catering job is both coming up with menu ideas and whittling down all the ideas to a balanced and manageable amount of food. My fear (unfounded to date) is that there won't be enough food and that someone will feel left out due to food allergies or intolerances. 

Plus, I have a baby shower coming up next weekend which I'm really excited about. I've known her and her family for close to 30 years. The baby mama is vegetarian and her sister who is hosting the shower has various food restrictions and needs to be gluten free, egg free, and cow's milk free. I enjoy the challenge of planning and making a variety of delicious foods for people who have allergies and/or restrictions. 

I've been slacking on a cookbook project with a girlfriend who lives in a different state. While she and I have compiled a number of recipes I think will fit our criteria, we need to whittle them down, categorize them, test them, and have volunteers also test them out.

And on top of all that, I'm working with a girlfriend to come up with ideas of items we can make and offer for sale around Christmas. So many people love the concept of a homemade gift and yet they run out of time to make stuff. I'm hoping to partner with an urban beekeeper I know in Seattle and sell some of our products at her holiday bazaar later in the year.

Part of my problem is (and this is purely my fault) that I don't set aside a specific time each and every day to write. I need to make writing a priority and write each and every day, even if it's by hand. Which I don't mind doing but sometimes the stupid carpal tunnel flares up and makes it very uncomfortable. I also need to be more adaptable in my choice of "office". I love love love my local coffee shop for many reasons but a quiet working environment is not one of them. Same goes for my local library; too noisy and no carrels. I wish I could work at home, however, I get distracted too easily and I don't have the quietest housemates. All of these are excuses, though, because if I truly want to write, I will find time to write.

So, cheer me on, my faithful readers--I'll take all the encouragement I can get! 

Welcome to my new food blog, Enhance + Enrich.

Well, hi there! I've had a few people ask me repeatedly if I had a food blog. Yes and no. I have tried this blogging thing a few times in the past; a personal one, a garden one, and my previous NiteOwl food blog and I've let them all lapse for various reasons. The personal one? I'm not a sharing type of person. The garden one? I'm not involved anymore. The NiteOwl one? I loved it, but a friend was maintaining the fees for the site and we decided to just let the domain name lapse. I'm totally fine using a free blog platform. At any rate, you may run across the first two defunct blogs here on Blogger; ignore them. I may bring over some of my posts from the NiteOwl blog at some point, so keep an eye out for them.

I chose the name, Enhance + Enrich, because both words refer to learning and to seasoning foods. I love to read about and research food--the history of cuisines, different techniques, seasonings and ingredients. I also have a passion for educating people about food. There is so much to know and so much new information which comes out about nutrition, new varieties of produce, different cuts of meat, obscure seasonings from around the globe, and new super-foods as well as basic techniques for those who are not as confident in the kitchen.

Cooking doesn't need to be a big production with dozens of ingredients and unfamiliar terms. It should be (relatively) relaxing rather than stressful. It should be a celebration of a few good seasonal ingredients or a bubbling casserole of comfort food. As much as I admire molecular gastronomists, I have no desire to cook like them; I cook like me. And that's what I want to teach you; how to cook like you, according to your tastes, your preferences, and your dietary needs.

So, to that end, I want you to ask me cooking questions. I want to teach you how to be a more confident cook and to rely on your instincts. I want you to try a new recipe and make it your own. I want to show you that veggies can be amazing and not just boring after-thoughts to a meal. I want you to be inspired and I want you to enjoy your food.

In the meantime, let me leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the incomparable Julia Child; "People who love to eat are the best people."