Hello and welcome to Mid-Michigan! We love to cook, travel, and of course EAT!
Brandon
I have been cooking since high school. My mother was not the best cook in the world (sorry Mom!). In fact, to this day I have never seen her chop a garlic clove. My aunt's ex-husband, however, owns a restaurant in Hawaii and they and their children are all good cooks so I knew that the culinary gene was somewhere in my blood. Being a military family, we traveled constantly. This provided me the opportunity to experience food all across the country, which comes across in the variety of things I cook. When my dad retired from the military we lived in Southern California, which is where I attended high school and college. At that time, gourmet home cooking was coming into fashion and Diners, Drive Ins and Dives reintroduced America to the value of restaurant food done right.
After having my fill of Southern California life, I packed up shop and moved to Michigan where I attended law school at Michigan State. During the week, I consistently pulled 16 hour days and ate like a 17 year old fraternity pledge. But the weekends were my own. To prevent burn out, I cooked. Luckily for me, I met a fantastic woman who indulged my culinary hobby and willingly tried anything I made (good and bad). Cooking for Amber on the weekends began.
Today, I operate a small law firm in Lansing. From time to time I also substitute teach for Haslett Public Schools. During the week, I can find myself doing anything from meeting a client in jail to consoling a kindergartener because somebody made fun of her hair. Weekends still provide me with a much needed respite.
I would describe my cooking as eclectic comfort. The dishes I make are intended to feed and please a family of four. When deciding on a meal, I am always mindful of my two toughest critics (Amber's kids) so I try to choose food that is familiar enough for them to give it a go even if they have not had it before. I have shamelessly fed the children more cayenne pepper, onions and veal than they would probably like to know. But that's ok, they don't have to.
I hope that these recipes inspire you to break out the saucepan and impress your family and friends. Enjoy your weekends; make them yours. Buon Appetito!
