A Food Blog?!

Why would I want to start a blog about food? Well, I've kept up blogs before (and still do a very personal one about my daughter and life in general, mostly for our not-so-close family and friends). I've tried to keep up other, more secretive blogs, but I never had a focus, so they always petered out. Why would anyone want to hear about the boring details of my life (and why would I want to rehash those very boring details)?

Then I moved to France earlier this year with my husband and daughter. We'll be here for a year, and during that time I've taken a sort-of leave of absence (which means I work a few hours a week virtually). I've found that I have a lot of time on my hands, even with a two year old under my feet. Strasbourg can be a very rainy place, which means that we're stuck inside a lot. I've always loved to cook, and love to try new recipes at home, but I've been inspired, both by the rich availability of food and recipes here in France, but also by the time on my hands.

Strasbourg is a small city, and I'm learning to take advantage of the accessibility of fresh produce and meat. I'm also learning that there are just some fruits and vegetables that shouldn't be eaten out of season...the French help you out with this by just not selling off-season produce. At first, I was annoyed when I couldn't get any peaches when it turned cold, but then when I finally got my hands on one, I found out why they are so hard to find in the late fall--they are mushy and mealy and flavorless. This means that I'm always on the look out for in-season produce, and I'm experimenting with produce that I've never bought or cooked before. (I just bought my first beets today!)

In addition to cooking more and experimenting more, I've found other people in the same shoes who I've been swapping recipes with. I even started a Facebook group for a few friends who wanted to share recipes, but it turned out that I was the only one posting recipes! I figured if it was going to be a one-pony show that I should have a forum where I could comment more and add more photos. Where could I do that? A blog!

So here's to my new adventure in cooking...saluté!