Cooking Made Easy with Andrea

I am a 38-year-old mother of two who  just … woke up.

I started a family when I was very young and had no idea where I was going ... other than being a single mother to two small children, no job skills and a so-so education with a GED to back it up.  I floundered between bartending jobs and finally settled in at a dive-ish bar in town; a bar where I got to bartend and cook at the same time. It was a crazy day but I loved the rush. However, I do  have to say at the time my culinary skills were, well, let’s not say what they were ... but my first grilled cheese sandwich was made by:  1.Toast bread 2. place cheese in between slices. 3.pop in microwave for 30 seconds.

Where I worked was a grungy biker bar with a love affair for gourmet food. Big, burly guys wanting fresh cut French Fries and  serving them a beautiful bacon Cajun & blue cheese burger topped with arugula and fresh sliced heirloom tomatoes. After the few heckles and bite they didn't complain ever again.

Shortly thereafter a spark went off in me. I was self-teaching and fine-tuning  my cooking skills (all trial and error and there was a lot of errors). The one and only good thing I had was serious creativity and an adventerous palet. The recipes started coming.

My family and friends were in love with my creations. It was then that I decided I needed to go to culinary school. I enrolled at Lincoln Culinary Institute. It was the best thing I ever did. I graduated just recently and am now working at Whole Foods Market in Glastonbury as a culinary demo specialist and learning everyday something new.

Since working at Whole Foods I have learned about organic and sustainable foods, rating systems, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and everything in between. I have met people with different dietary ailments and how they long for those long-lost comfort foods.

I want to make foods for them that can be substituted for what they can not have. I myself have gone gluten-free, vegan-ish and cut out most dairy, (cheese my friends is a very hard habit to break). To me food is beautiful, healing, tasty and just amazing.  I might not have a lot of money, and I can not take a lot of vacations, let alone one, but at least my palet will never suffer!

Follow my blog for easy, inexpensive devine recipes you can make at home. Organic, gluten-free, vegan and everything in between.