About my Blog

Here are some facts about my blog and myself:

- The purpose of this blog for me is to share some of my food ideas, observations, and simple recipes with you, my reader, while practicing writing, food styling, and photography.

- I grew up in Moscow, Russia, and learned cooking from my grandparents - Russian and Jewish. Then, after moving to California, I discovered that traditional Russian and Jewish cuisines are not very suitable for Californian climate and local ingredients, so now I experiment with different world cuisines and fusion. In winter, especially on a Tahoe ski trip, I would still sometimes cook borsht, matso ball soup, or pelmeni.

- My cooking is usually based on a technique, not on a recipe. The numerous cookbooks that I own are for bedtime reading. I try to take pictures and to write down the recipes as I cook. Sometimes there is no time for this. In this case there will be no recipe in the blog entry, just a description.

- I love to travel, and get new food ideas and experiences on every trip. Empanadas cooking class in Costa Rica, staying with a French family in Bordeaux and helping them to cook (and eat) their family meals, assisting a Greek tavern owner while she made her famous moussaka and sauteed prawns - all these have been enlightening experiences. The latter two also taught me that the only meal that can possibly be served without wine is breakfast. I try to give some wine suggestions with my recipes.

- Most nights I cook for just myself, myself and my boyfriend, or 2-3 good friends (my dining table sits four), so if you are looking for small scale recipes, they are here. I freeze things that are better made in large quantities, like stocks, homemade pasta, or sausages. The place where I live is blessed with an industrial size freezer.

- I'm obsessed with outdoor cooking, kitchen gadgets, and with food presentation. I will be taking a food styling class at http://www.photostylingworkshops.com/ this month, and I hope it will help me to make this blog a welcoming and appetizing place.