Is This Thing On?!

Hello out there! 

Well, thanks for stopping by!  This is my first post and my first blog ever, so please bear with me.  I decided to start this blog in an attempt to unleash some creativity.  Those of you that know me, know that I'm not the most creative person out there, but that I love to cook and love to write.  A couple of months ago, my good friend Colleen suggested  that I combine the two and start blogging.  I finally decided to take her advice and get off my butt.  Thanks, Colleen...I think!

Okay...so here's a little about me.  My husband, Jay, and I both love to cook for each other, our family, and friends.  I get as much pleasure out of watching people enjoy the food I make as I do making it.  Cooking is very therapeutic to me; nothing beats getting my aggressions out chopping up a poor defenseless clove of garlic.  I use fresh ingredients as much as I possibly can, especially when it comes to herbs.  With few exceptions, there is just no comparison.  Oddly enough, the only green beans that Jay eats come from a can and are French-cut.  To each his own, I suppose.

We grow our own herbs and vegetables in the spring and summer here; the mild winters in South Carolina are ideal to start early, and we'll often still have produce into November, if they can survive the heat of the summer.  There is nothing better than going out into the yard and harvesting dinner for that night.  Last weekend we took our first trip to the farmers market in Columbia, and it's really inspired me to (for the moment, anyway) concentrate on the veggie aspect of the meal, rather than focusing on a meat. 

Monday night, I made a gorgeous stir fry to accompany a teriyaki chicken breast that Jay grilled.  It had baby Vidalia onions, baby squash, carrots, water chestnuts, and green beans sauteed with fresh ginger, garlic, chili flakes, soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds. 

Unfortunately, I didn't get the finished product, but the colors were just so beautiful sitting in the pan.  I've totally got spring fever now! 

Tonight's dish is a crustless quiche with bacon, swiss cheese, baby Vidalia onions, and fresh thyme.  If it looks as good as it's currently smelling, I'll post some pictures.  My apologies for the crappy picture quality.  Jay is the photographer in the family; just be grateful this is in focus and my thumb isn't in the way.

Thanks for reading!