Kitchen creativity. As a kid I was always encouraged to help out in the kitchen (my parents' brilliant use of slave labor). In fact, some of my earliest memories involve cookie baking and enchilada making. As I'm sure I've mentioned, I also happen to be what some would call an, ahem, picky eater, so my mom planned nightly meals around a pretty basic menu in order to avoid my whining about the slop before me or, even worse, purposely vomiting up whatever food product I deemed revolting. As an adult the range of foods I enjoy (or at least am willing to try) has thankfully grown, but until recently I still clung to those five or six familiar dishes from childhood when take-out wasn't an appealing option. Then I watched a little documentary called "Food, Inc." and realized it would be wise for both me and the planet if I shunned processed foods in favor of fresh stuff that grows out of the actual ground or had a fairly happy existence before heading to the slaughterhouse. Sadly, this meant giving up my weekly feast of frozen chicken tenders and Kraft macaroni & cheese, but I've been able to console myself by perusing stacks of cookbooks from the library and testing out tons of recipes from the healthier end of the food spectrum. Luckily, I have had more hits than misses in the new recipe department and, as a result, have become more fearless in the kitchen, swapping out ingredients and changing measurements with wild abandon. When it comes to making desserts I have become even more daring, adding spinach to brownie batter (not a keeper), thrusting balls of cookie dough into cupcakes, and blending together cake and frosting to make my now legendary cake balls (not to be confused with the equally famous and delicious Schweddy Balls). I have no idea how comfortable you are in the kitchen, Jason, but I certainly wouldn't mind spending an afternoon with you frying up a slab of bacon to crumble over some delectable maple confection. And if you aren't too keen on culinary craziness, we can always grab some take-out and finish out the day with my moist chocolate balls. Bon appetit!
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