Hello and welcome to “How I learned to stop worrying and love the garlic.” This blog was partially inspired by the movie, Julie & Julia, in which Julie Powell keeps a blog while attempting to cook all the recipes in Julia Child’s first cookbook. More importantly, it was also inspired by fun experiences cooking with my best friend – who came up with the blog title – and with my fiancé. We’re all from predominantly Italian-American families, so we share a deep love for good food, good company, and (of course) garlic.
Garlic will be an ingredient in most of the recipes we share here, often a key ingredient. It is not, however, the main focus of the blog. The focus will be more on the processes of cooking and tweaking recipes to better meet our needs and preferences. We’ll share our adventures, success stories, and amusing or insight-inducing failures. Some of the recipes have been passed down to us by our mothers; others we developed on our own or found in cookbooks or online. Whenever possible, we’ll share at least the ingredients list and/or source of the recipe. Be prepared for a pinch of this, a splash of that, and “to taste.”
Cooking is a wonderful adventure. It allows us to know exactly what we are eating and to choose healthy ingredients – well, most of the time! It is a creative process that can be wonderfully stimulating to all five senses. Best of all, the experience and/or results of slaving over a hot stove can be shared with loved ones. Few things feel better than having someone I care about say “this is delicious,” grin broadly, and take a second helping of the meal I just prepared. Food nourishes the body. Sharing it with loved ones nourishes the soul.
We hope you will enjoy reading this blog as much as we enjoy writing it.
Buon appetito!
How I learned to stop worrying and love the garlic 