Welcome! III

Hello, I am Dana! I think I am the new girl here...I just started blogging in August of this year. But there was no way I was turning down the opportunity to contribute to this blog, given that the topic is FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD! I love to eat, love to cook, love to try new recipes and new restaurants, and I love talking about eating, cooking, and recipes!

I live in Texas with my husband (David) and 2 year old daughter (Gabby). I work full time, and my challenge is coming up with a wide variety of healthy meals for us that require little prep work in the evening. I want to raise my little girl to enjoy a broad spectrum of foods, and I am always searching for dishes where nutrition and convenience are not mutually exclusive.

I am always on the lookout for recipes that can be doubled, frozen, or made in advance. I have a bit of disdain for "kid-foods" and I try to avoid cooking with lots of packets and boxes. Although, I do admit to a major attachment to all the prepared foods in the refrigerators and freezers at Costco.

No dietary restrictions here...my main limitation is David's distaste for salmon. Other than that, everything else is fair game in our house! Most of my recipes are not 100% originals, but it is rare that I find a recipe that I love 'as-is'. I am a perpetual modifier.

I am certain that I will NOT be posting a slew of pictures, a la Pioneer Woman. Although, I might tack on a picture of the finished product where I can. My goal with cooking is efficiency, so I can't be taking 942 pictures while trying to get dinner on the table.

I guess that is all for now...I am glad to be a part of this!

Welcome! II

So, hi everyone. I am Kristen, also known around as Shoeaddict (and sometimes just Shoe). I am from south Louisiana and most of my recipes come from my mom or grandmother. I really love to eat, try new foods, go out to eat at different restaurants (and old favorites) and all of that so, hopefully, I'll have something to add.

I live with (and cook for) my husband, Blue, who is lot pickier than I am. I am also dieting but I usually cook the naughty, yummy food anyway and either don't eat it or eat a little. Blue doesn't like a lot of vegetables (and no salad) and always wants meat. If I just served him warm beef- he'd be fine.

For supper here, I usually cook some type of meat (chicken, chuck steak, fish), a veggie or two and some kind of carb- bread or pasta or rice. Sometimes, we eat spaghetti with meatballs, tacos, or chili. I'm excited to get new ideas here and maybe try some new stuff from my Mama. The first thing that I plan on telling ya'll about, when it's my turn, is one of my favorite holiday foods- sweet potato crunch.

I write in long, run-on sentences and I am a terrible speller. I am a product junkie. I love taking bubble baths and watching tv and taking bad (not on purpose) pictures of my awesome family. I love to be with them- they are the best subjects. My favorite foods (right now) are- shrimp, biscuits, apples, french fries (I never eat them but I love them so). I am also, of course, a shoe addict.

Welcome!

I'm really excited about starting a food blog, especially with a bunch of people contributing. I'm not sure how it will turn out, but my basic idea is to have one place where we can share links, recipes, allergy info, and anything else that seems relevant. Most of my recipes are not original- I'm a great cook because I can read and follow directions. I hardly ever make things up. Let's just all remember to give credit where it's due if it's not your recipe, girls, okay? :) I don't want to step on any toes.

And why Can You Eat This? My family has tons of food allergies. We find ourselves asking each other that question all the time. Can you eat this? I don't know...let me read the label... oh wait, no, it has peanuts/tree nuts/malt flavoring/wheat/shellfish...... we're a mess. And although not all the contributors have food allergies, everybody brings something to the table that they're working on- cooking with and for toddlers, weight loss and lowfat recipes, party food, and all kinds of other yummy things. Can we eat it? I hope so!

So. For the first few posts, let's all tell a little bit about ourselves- what kind of food do you like to cook, who are you cooking for, and what other parameters are you working with?

I'll start. Because I Am The Boss. At least for this post.

Shut up. I AM.

I'm kelli. I cook a lot more than I used to. My son and I were recently diagnosed with celiac disease, which is an intolerance to all gluten. That includes wheat, rye, oats, and barley. In addition, my daughter is severely allergic to peanuts and all tree nuts. Gluten-free nut-free foods can be done, and done very well, but sometimes they're tricky. Certainly it takes a lot of the spontaneity out of our lives. There are just a handful of places we can eat out, and we always have to check the website beforehand and make a big deal about talking to the waiter. It's easier to just come up with home-cooked alternatives most of the times.

I also run a daycare in my home, and pretty much all the standard "kid" lunch foods have to be thrown out or adapted- chicken nuggets, fish sticks, pizza, mac and cheese, pbj... all no good for us. I cook for seven kids at breakfast and lunch, and then my family of six (me, hubby, 2 kids, and my parents) at night.

My focus is mostly going to be on gluten-free nut-free, obviously, but I want to post a lot of different kinds of things. Stuff that just happens to be gf and doesn't take any weird flours or special ingredients is a bonus. I also want to create a section for eating out with food allergies and maybe compile some menu options from different restaurants.

I haven't decided if I am going to include a lot of pictures in my recipes- my mom has already asked if I'm going to do that, a la Pioneer Woman or Buns In My Oven. I have a feeling I'll try, but that I will completely forget to take half the shots I need, and that the other half will be bad. Perhaps laughably bad. Maybe it will add to my charm? Or something?

There you have it. Me in a nutshell. Wait. Not a nutshell. We don't buy those. A handbasket? No. Wait...

Next up: my grandma's potato salad, after all the introductions are complete. :)