Welcome to Randomly Edible, a blog that will often (but not always) be about stuff you can eat. As the tagline implies, this is only loosely defined as a food blog. A true food blog would contain artfully crafted original recipes, studio-quality photography, advice from experienced culinary experts, and perhaps even professionally written reviews of gourmet restaurants.

I will provide none of these things.

” I could only handle so much baked squash “

“So what in the heck are you going to write about anyway?” you say. I’m glad you asked! One day I might share a favorite recipe of mine, and another day I’ll write about the killer noodle bowl I had for lunch. I’ll discuss cooking tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years, let you know where to find the best popcorn in Chicago, and talk about the most disgusting candy I’ve ever tasted. I’ll praise the awesomeness of crawfish, theorize on why cookies are better as dough, and explain how mind-numbingly easy it is to make dinner in a Crock-Pot. In other words, I plan to write about all kinds of odd things that, while otherwise unrelated, are all linked to food in some way.

“What makes you qualified to write this blog then?” you ask. Well don’t get ahead of yourself, because I don’t happen to think I’m qualified at all. I have no professional culinary education, no restaurant experience, and my palette is not particularly well refined. (What’s a palette anyway? Never mind.) What I do have going for me is that I truly love cooking, and the eating part isn’t so bad either. I don’t claim to be a great cook, or even a marginal one, but I do rather enjoy the food I make … and I also don’t get a lot of complaints. Perhaps that’s just my friends and family being polite when presented with free food, but there’s a small chance I have at least a smidgeon of ability.

I’ve been interested in kitchen goings-on ever since I was a kid, and I would always pester my poor mother while she was slaving away over a hot stove. It didn’t take her long to figure out that I would stay out of her hair if I was given kitchen-y tasks to focus on, so I spent many childhood years mixing batter, measuring flour, and locating spices in the cupboard. I don’t remember the first thing I learned how to cook 100% on my own, but it was probably grilled cheese. When I was about twelve years old, my mother went on a serious health food kick of an extremely vegan nature; my carnivore father and I were horrified. I could only handle so much baked squash and steamed kale before I snapped, so in an act of sheer dietary self-defense I started teaching myself how to cook things that were actually enjoyable to eat. I learned a bit of kitchen know-how from my grandmother, my father showed me how to grill, a friend’s mother handed me down a few recipes… and here I am today.

I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts, mistakes, and aha! moments with you; hopefully my ramblings contain more desirable content than the overly vegan meals I remember from my pre-teen years. Thanks for joining me as I embark on yet another blogging adventure, and I hope you enjoy the journey. Don’t forget to tip the wait staff.