Welcome to the kitchen, the heart of a home, the soul of family living.

What am I? The Chief Cook and Bottle Washer?

I can hear my mother's voice, a little exasperation, a little humor, a lot of truth.  Everything was her responsibility in the kitchen  

If you aren't familiar with this old saying, I'll elaborate; the chief cook is the head chef, ultimately responsible for for both nourishing and pleasing those who come to the table.  Bottle washing, of course, was the lowliest job in any kitchen, and if she was both, she was also everything in between.

Now, aren't we still, today?

We are in charge of meal planning, shopping, budgeting, stocking and rotating, and minimizing waste.  Oh! and let's not forget the cooking!  Preparation and cooking time; setting a table and serving; all under the ever-looming presence of four-star chefs that our families and friends now know by name, thanks to cable cooking shows.  At least Julia Childs only aired once a week!  Her kitchen (and her ingredient list) didn't  demand you hit the lottery to even attempt one of her meals!

But I digress...........

We have a lot of work to do, we chief cooks, we bottle washers, we who are everything in between.  

Skills that our mothers and grandmothers learned from their own were not necessarily taught to us as girls.  Those skills were not feminist, modern, empowering.   Now how shall we draw our families and friends  together to break bread and share our lives if not around the supper table?

I propose that you can have healthy home-cooked meals on a budget that are fit to be photographed.  I maintain that it can be done simply and become an integral part of the basic rhythm of your life.  If you are in your first kitchen that is not your mom's, if your are starting a family, if your are trying to feed teens (all on different schedules),  if you want to entertain, this newsletter/blog is for you!