Foodie.

I admit that I consider myself a foodie.  If I called myself a food junkie, that sounds like I'm binging on chips and chocolate, and while that *sounds* good that's definitely not what I'm doing.

We try at least one new recipe a week (often, it's more like 4 or 5).  My oh-so-adventureous husband is a good sport and tries everything.  We have an understanding - he tells me exactly what he likes and doesn't like.  Some may hear his open criticism at the dinner table as him being negative/judgmental/a complainer.  But really, he's my most revered food critic.  If he doesn't tell me what's good and bad about a dish, I'll never know how to fix it or repeat it.

I think my biggest source of inspiration is pinterest.  I used to subscribe to a few magazines so I could have a regular digest of new recipes, but I now follow some amazing fellow foodies that create recipes themselves! I think that's why I cook so much.... without any professional training, I'm trying to teach myself what works and doesn't work, so that *someday* I can make up my own recipes.  I do feel pretty confident with meats and marinades, but I'm in some desperate need of gastronomical chemistry :)  I don't know WHY there are three eggs in a baked dish versus four, and how do you determine the amount of flour to leavener? I know there is some math here, and also some chemistry.  I also know that I could probably just apply the scientific method and figure out .... but here's my final point:

I have a full-time job, I go to school, and chase two darling and sometimes-over-energetic girls around the house.  I want someone to just tell me! Or write it out.  Do you know how this stuff works?  Or maybe have a book about the chemistry behind baking/cooking? I'm dying to know!
Last point on being a foodie.... I think I get a sense of satisfaction from eating good food.  I suppose that's what makes me a foodie.  That's also partially how I got myself into a situation of needing to lose weight... I just LOVE tasting good food.  Well, my problem is that I ATE instead of just tasting.  This desire for good food and losing weight has led me down a path of "real food", organic, and with a hint of paleo.  I'm now totally impassioned about eating food that doesn't have corn syrup added (WHY DO YOU NEED TO ADD THAT?! It's just an empty calorie... and at that, it's a carb!) and eating food that's well, real.  I know I've mentioned this on my facebook page (or alluded to it).  But do you know what happened when I cut almost all processed food? I dropped about 5 pounds in less than a week.  Like it literally fell off of me with no issue.  (My "last" real food conversion to do is dressings/sauces. Most of them have corn syrup or soybean oil or something added to it that just isn't necessary to have good flavor.  Not to mention it probably came from a genetically modified food.)

So that's my rant on being a foodie.  I'm hoping to start blogging about what I learn, what I make, and the other swirling thoughts around my head.  Next up:  eggs.