food.

Is anyone watching Master Chef?
It's quite possibly my new favorite show on tv.
Home cooks are competing for the title of 'Master Chef', a quarter of a million dollars and their own freakin' cook book.
So cool.
The show is very inspiring.
There have only been 4 episodes thus far. I've cried during each one.
You see, I love food. I really, really do.
I love watching people create amazing dishes...thus the reason I could watch Food Network 24/7.

I haven't always been this way though.
As a child you could say food was my enemy.
I ate chicken. A lot of chicken.
In fact my mother used to say I was going to turn into a chicken nugget.
I resisted trying new food for some reason.
I turned down many offers to just take a bite of a bologna sandwich...although many wouldn't blame me for that one.
I also remember a time when I sat staring at a piece of meatloaf.
My parents were not allowing me to leave the table until I ate my dinner.
I have no idea who won that battle. All I remember was the disgusting 'meat cake' sitting on a plate growing cold.
Funny, because now I'd love to make a meatloaf as perfect as my mothers.

When I went away to college I was lucky enough to live across from the best food hall on campus.
There was a wrap station that I was amazed by. I'd never seen chicken and cheese, two of my very favorite things, in anything other than two pieces of bread.
I was hooked and therefore easily gained my freshman 15.
The rest of my college years I lived off campus and indulged in cereal, chicken a la George Forman and turkey and cheese sandwiches.
Ask my husband. That's really all I ate for quite some time.

Then slowly but surely I started trying new foods.
I had my first burger only 7 years ago and now I think there isn't much better.

I'll never forget the first time I had a burrito. It opened the door to this whole world of Tex Mex I had no idea existed.

My first bolognese. Oh my word. It was in Chapel Hill, NC. We sat in a little Italian restaurant with best buddies, The Cheds. I'd heard of this dish, but wasn't quite sure what it was. I think Chelsea convinced me to order it and I swear to you I still think of that dish.

I don't know where or how my inner foodie emerged, but it has and I'm ever so certain that Mr. P and I will own a restaurant someday.
There is lots to learn, but I love nothing more than trying a new dish and being in the kitchen.
I LOVE looking up a restaurant I hear or read about regardless of it's location because I'm fascinated with menus.
My handsome hubby is also quite handy in the kitchen, in fact he's taught me quite a bit.
Plus we both love people...who wouldn't want to come to our restaurant? :)

So somehow my post about a new tv show turned into this.
I could talk about food for hours. I really could.
It's a wonderful feeling finally finding the thing I'm most passion about.
I know my knowledge and love of food will only continue to grow and that makes me very, very happy.

xo