My Cooking Philosophy

I would like to introduce myself through my cooking philosophy. I will update this periodically with some tips and tricks for making easy, wallet-friendly, delicious meals.

SECRET #1: I have a secret for wallet-friendly, creative recipes – my pantry! I stock up when sales and coupons come around, so I always have something in my pantry I can use. The fridge and freezer are also great resources. I stand in my pantry and look at what I already have. There are always ingredients in there that I can use to make a great meal. Start in your pantry!

Secret #1a: I have to give some credit to my mom here. Her pantry and fridge are stocked full even though it’s just her and my dad living at home. My mom makes soups and casseroles all the times. She says she just throws in whatever she has in the pantry or the fridge. You would never even know!

SECRET #2: During a trip to Greenbrier Hotel in WV, we got to experience a cooking lesson from one of the 50 professional chefs in the world. She told us that a recipe is just a guideline. Read it, absorb it, and make it your own. Obviously, when you’re baking, you need to be precise, so I suggest following recipes for baked goods. But for regular meals, whether you’re grilling, sautéing, braising, baking, or broiling, take the recipe as a guideline. A lot of times, I might leave out an ingredient or two if I don’t have them, or change the volume of something if I don’t have enough or have too much.