Finally...a blog where I can talk about cooking!

After many suggestions from family and friends, I decided to start a cooking blog! I am always talking about food on Think Happy Thoughts so much that it is about time all of my food chatter had its own domain. If you don't read my other blog (which I highly recommend) than you don't know anything about me other than what it says in my About Me blurb.

That's me... the day after my wedding... Wanna get to know me? Let's start here with some facts:
*My name is Mrs. Bear. I am a twenty-something, freckly, Italian-Irish gal from New England.
*I am married to Mr. Bear - a tall, dashing, Southern boy who stole my heart when we met on a cruise in 2003. He is my biggest fan and food critic. I love him more than anything in the whole wide world - even food.
*We were married in Destin, Florida on 10.17.09 and my other blog talks all about our engagement, wedding, and life as newlyweds.

*We just moved from Atlanta, GA to Maryland. Neither of us have ever lived here, but we are super excited to try all different kinds of crab dishes - cakes, dips, pastas, salads, you name it, we'll try it. We love crab!
(Ex. See my version of crab artichoke dip below - I'll post that recipe tomm!)

*I love to cook as much as possible. If I was a millionaire that is all I would do - make up recipes, cook for my loved ones, and fatten everyone up! I'd probably cook for strangers too. Not in a restaurant or anything though - a business would be too much work.
*I have an obsession with food - talking about it, reading about it, watching shows about it. Ask my family - I know that they find it quite annoying that whenever I call I inquire about what they have eaten or plan on eating that day.
* I take lots of pictures of the food that I eat and cook. I know I look nuts when I whip out a camera in a restaurant but LOTS of people do it... more than you would ever know. Google it.

*I like to read my cookbooks from front to back, over and over again. Not so I can familiarize myself with the recipes, but so I can use them as inspiration for my own dishes.
*I rarely follow a recipe step-by-step - I always think I can make it better.
*I like to cook meals of all kinds - even ones that I can't eat.
*What can't I eat? I can't eat red meat, fried or fatty foods, and anything high in dairy.
*I started cooking when I was in high school. My first big dish was Clam Chowder for the guests at my high school graduation in June! It was a hit and the pot was scraped clean before I could even get a bowl.
*My grandmother is Italian and loves to cook. Sadly she is very old and has dementia, so she doesn't cook as often as she used to. Every time I call her I tell her what I am making for dinner and she tells me that I am JUST like her - I love to cook. I will never tell her that she has told me that already. I love her to death.

*My mom always asks what I am cooking for dinner every day - and even though I get irritated, I ask her the same question in return. My mom is amazing - she is the reason I started cooking and always a source for meal ideas. I don't know what I would do without her in my life. Isn't she gorgeous?

*I was raised in a family where the woman cooks dinner every day. My dad and sister still call my mom on her way home from work to ask what she is going to make. I always told myself that I wouldn't be the kind of wife who stresses over feeding her family every night and that sometimes it's okay for takeout - but I have already become that wife (and I've only been a wife for 2.5 months).
*All of the women in my life believe feeding their family is so important - including my two new mom-in-laws! They are both great cooks as well and I am constantly asking for their recipes so I can feed Mr. Bear his favorite childhood dishes.

*Food makes me happy. Cooking makes me even happier. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a smile on someone's face after you've filled their belly with a delicious meal!*

I hope you all will tune in to see what I am cooking tomorrow night for dinner - my sister and her boyfriend are coming to visit me and the hubs in our new apartment!

P.S. That's me and my sister. I am teaching her how to be a great cook this year!