Starting a blog about my foodie life — cooking, tasting, sipping (sometimes gulping), dining and digging in — has been on my mind for some time now. I’m so excited to bring it to life!

While I wouldn’t have called myself a foodie 10 years ago, food has always been a big part of my life. According to my parents, my first phrase was “Supper’s ready!” My mom would shout this from the kitchen — nicely — to gather my dad, brother, sister and me to the table, stat. Clearly, I’ve always been pretty excited about food. (Ha!)

My mom was (and is) a great cook, but as a mother of three, she had her stand-bys and she stuck to them. My childhood was filled with spaghetti and meat sauce, tacos, stuffed pork chops, baked chicken, mashed potatoes and a variety of canned vegetables (ick). I ate well — certainly never went hungry — but meals were not very adventurous or different, and as a child who refused to eat sauce on top of her spaghetti until middle school (on the side ONLY, and not touching), I have a hunch that there was probably a reason for that. (Disclaimer: my parents have branched out a lot since then — more to come on that in future posts.)

My childhood also brought me some of my favorites to this day: my grandmother’s grasshopper pie, my mother‘s pot roast with mushroom gravy, chicken fricassee, lasagna, chicken curry, my dad’s favorite cake with strawberry jam between the layers and whipped cream for icing… Yum.

Since childhood, I’ve come a long way — I’m pretty much the most non-picky eater you’ll find, and I’m ALWAYS up for trying something new. In fact, I really don’t have many stand-bys in my cooking repertoire — I find it more fun and satisfying to try new recipes and flavors, even if they’re sometimes miserable failures. I cook often, and especially love to cook for friends and family. I can’t live without cracked black pepper. I read many a food magazine. I love wine. I love eating out and sharing my favorite spots with friends. And if I can help it, I refuse to cook on an electric stove ever again.

I’m truly looking forward to sharing my food and drink adventures with you through Taste by Taste. You’ll hear about my recipe winners (and losers), restaurant visits, cookbooks, farmers market finds, food trends — and I hope that as you read, you get some ideas, entertainment, inspiration and amusement from my experiences. Enjoy, and bon appetit!