Numero Uno

Wow. So I guess I have a blog now. Perhaps some context and an introduction are in order.

During the past few months I have found myself with an abundance of free time. This is mostly due to the fact that OU was in need of far fewer adjunct instructors than originally anticipated. I only work at the liquor store a few days a week, and two- or three-a-day workouts only take up so much time (and my knees aren't getting any younger).

Oddly enough, I have turned to cooking and baking to fill my days. Why is this odd? Some backstory might help.

I used to be afraid of the oven. Phobically afraid of the oven. I burned myself trying to help my mom make Christmas cookies when I was in the 3rd grade. I refused to put anything into or take anything out of the oven until I was a freshman in high school. Seriously, I would watch a tray of cookies start to scorch through the window of the oven and do nothing. "Mom! Mom! Your cookies are burning!" as the smoke alarm blared. The stove was equally out of the question. In my mind, if I accidentally set my hand on a hot burner, it would begin to melt and stick there. Like I said, phobically afraid.

In addition to this crippling fear was my mom's fame as a master baker. People have forgone wedding cakes entirely in favor of her cookies. They're like little works of art. Her cheesecakes have sold for $50 a pop. Diocesan meetings are regularly held at the school where she's the administrative assistant simply because most of the board members would step over their own mothers for a slice of her Special Occasion Coconut Cake.

When I became a vegetarian (1996) and again when I decided to be a full vegan (1998-ish), I had to get over this fear pretty quick if I wanted homecooked meals. This is not to say my mom wasn't accomodating, but you can only live for so long on pasta and steamed veggies. When I decided to try my hand at raw foodism two springs ago, being a slacker in the kitchen was no longer an option.

This blog, then, is a record of my various (mis)adventures in the kitchen. My current kitchen is smaller than my childhood bathroom. Almost all my pots and pans are hand-me-downs or Kroger specials. My oven wouldn't heat evenly if I started a fire in it. But I almost always manage to have a good time.

Read along for a while as I try my hand at vegan-izing some of my mom's recipes, attempt to make haute vegan cuisine on a three-student-loan budget, and see just how raw I can get.

Coming Soon: Actual recipes! Maybe pictures (if I can figure out how to load them)! My first crack at making a yeast bread!

Until then...eat your veggies!