Exact Measurements?

As you may have noticed I am not a huge fan of exact measurements. I leave the exact measuring to the bakers out there... Baking is something I have a hard time doing correctly. I think it's due to all of the rules, and the need to be so very precise in measurements. I'm the only person I know that can both burn a cake and also have it be raw... In the SAME DISH with a correctly working oven...

So to be safe and fair to anyone in the house, I leave the baking to my wife Melissa, who is so much better at it than I am (I'll get her to get some of her recipes on here for you)

Anyway... The reason I don't live and die by the tablespoon is simple. It's the way I approach cooking. With Love and With Feeling.

Every time I step into the kitchen I let my mood take over. How do I feel today? What little things can I throw in that I know my wife loves? How does the dish look so far? How is it beginning to taste? All of these feelings determine a flavor combination here, and twist of lime here, or a bit of green needed there.

If you're ever stuck just think of Italy. The colors, The Music, The Flavors, The Romance. It's no wonder so many beautiful dishes and traditions come from there. It's all from love. Through hard times, through brilliant times. It was love. It was tradition. It was how the lights in the cities and cafes would catch the eyes and the hearts of young lovers. It is the many fields full of carefully cared for crops.. It's the simple little decisions made on a whim in a kitchen while your family is gathered in the other room. That's what cooking is about. It's about love. And all that love implies and means to you.

So while you're reading my recipes if you come across something and you find yourself wondering "What? How much salt do I use??" or maybe "Couldn't I just do this instead?" or "Wait, should there be more oil or less oil?" Know, there is no wrong way to start a tradition, no wrong way to prepare a dish for your family and no wrong way to share your love.

- B