It's Christmas Eve-Eve.

It just occurred to me that I could blog about what I cook. I was doing that for a bit, but I haven't posted anything food related in quite a long time. As I have started to read Homesick Texan's blog, I realized that I too could write about what I eat and why.

Now that I am beyond the initial frenzy and fatigue that being a new mom entails, I have begun to really cook again. For me, food isn't just a source of nutrients. Food is a language. In fact, the only conversations that my parents and I can engage in without fear of conflict revolve around food.

My mom tells me what she bought on sale and where, how much she paid, how she prepared it, and what she did with the left overs. (There are always left overs.) When she comes to my house, I hand her my newest cook book for her to peruse. She'll call out recipe titles that she finds "interesting."

My father also tells me about the food he's been having lately. He's more of a restaurant patron these days. So he'll tell me about the Chinese "joint" that just opened up, the microbrewery that he wants to take my husband to, the only decent Mexican food they can find, etc. Everything has to be pretty cheap for my dad to even consider it.

I guess that's another family tie. We're all bargain shoppers. So, if we can get a bargain on food. Damn! We're all over that. And then we tell each other because there is a certain level of respect earned for finding an exceptional deal.

Lately, I've become more grounded in my roots in this way. In the recent past I'd gotten used to buying what I wanted, regardless of cost. If I wanted smoked salmon, I might not buy a ton of it, but the price per pound wouldn't put me off. These days, everyone is more cost conscious. In these leaner times, I am grateful to my parents for giving me the chops to buy and use what's on sale.

I'll start with my first recipe post tomorrow.

Happy Holidays!