Welcome to Kilt in the Kitchen!

Kilt in the Kitchen you ask?  Well, I’ve been known to wear kilts, I spend a large percentage of my free time in the kitchen, and it will be a great name for a column in Food and Wine or a show on Food Network.

Mostly, though, it gives me a chance to talk about food, cooking, and a little travel.  Now there are gazillion blogs about food and cooking so I need to let you know where I’m coming from.  For starters, I’m a self-taught cook.  Obviously no professional training (although I have worked at Johnson & Wales and Newbury College) but I don’t remember a whole lot of instruction from my mother, either.  I did spend a lot of time watching Julia Child, the Frugal Gourmet, and the Galloping Gourmet when I was a kid.

Next, I make no pretensions about being a chef.  I’m a big fan of Top Chef but more as entertainment than instruction.  I’d much rather make a delicious dinner in about 20 minutes after coming from from work than demonstrating expert knife skills on the garnishes for a seared foie gras.  Flavor, flexibility, speed, flavor, nutrition, and flavor are important to me.

Next, it’s just me and my wife and there are times when she isn’t home for dinner.  Trying to buy ingredients and put together great meals for one or two people can be a challenge but there are ways of doing it, especially if you’re willing to take a chance or two.

Next, one of the most enjoyable things about traveling for me is food.  Shopping for food and eating local cuisine is always a highlight for my wife and me and we are very fortunate to be able to travel as much as we do.

Finally, healthy cooking is important to me.  In 2000, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes and at the time, I was terribly overweight.  Over the next 18 months or so, I lost about 130 lbs by changing my diet and developing an exercise program and I’ve managed to stay at a healthy weight ever since (and the diabetes is in remission, or gone, or whatever you call it when my readings have been normal for more than thirteen years).  For me, the key is to be reasonable.  I like to keep meals balanced, I’m not afraid of using fats, and I cook lots of vegetables.  It probably helps that I’m not a big fan of sweets (not that I won’t taste a crème brûlée on occasion) and I do have to keep an eye on carbs, but it’s a small price to pay.

I’ll be writing about cooking, recipes, cookbooks, books about food, food in other countries, food equipment, cooking techniques, and anything else that strikes my fancy.  Let me know what strikes yours.