Once upon a time, I didn’t know how to cook (I actually burned soup once). My college roommates worried I might starve when I moved out of the dorms and no longer had a cafeteria to rely on for sustenance, so they gave me a very simple cookbook.
As I prepared recipes from this mysterious new book, I discovered that cooking was actually fun! Every day, I got to experiment with new ingredients and techniques, and I (usually) had something yummy to eat when I was done. I acquired more cookbooks and kitchen gadgets, and my kitchen was a delightful place, full of endless, delicious variety.
Then I got married and had four kids.
I took the job of nourishing my children seriously, and I wanted them to share my love of food in all its wondrous variety. That’s a big challenge, though, for a busy mom whose kids are in varying stages of pickiness. What to do when one of my kids hates everything another likes, and a third wants to survive on just cereal, bread, and dairy products?
I don’t have all the answers yet (no one on this planet does), but I have over a decade of experience cooking for my family, and trying to help my kids enjoy (or at least ingest) good food. I’ve learned some techniques for working with picky eaters, and collected recipes that taste so good my kids (usually) don’t mind eating healthy food. I hope my recipes and insights will help you make your kitchen table a little healthier and happier too.
P.S. In case you’re wondering about the source of my blog’s name, I wish I could say that it was born of some deep, food-related introspection; that it was symbolic of my desire to be a sweet yet wholesome person. The truth is that when I was brainstorming blog names with my family, I suggested that one just to be silly and my kids loved it. Then my friends loved it. Then I realized it really does capture my philosophy toward both food and blogging: Have fun, eat good food, and don’t take yourself too seriously.
