I love cooking and I’ve covered the restaurant and food industry for NBC4, CBS2 and KCAL-TV in Los Angeles,  but I never considered cooking professionally.  Then, just recently, a tourist staying in our duplex, asked me to cook for him.  He said that he just couldn’t walk by my kitchen one more time, smelling the aroma of my family dinners , without asking me to make meals for him too.  After sitting down to his second meal, he said, “do you cook like this all the time?” wondering if this was special just for him, and my husband piped in “yes, she does cook like this all the time.”  I explained that it is hard for me NOT to make flavorful, healthy meals.  I can’t imagine sitting down to eat food that is not flavorful when it is so easy to make food taste good.

I also have a hard time eating the same food or the same type of cuisine day after day.  So I tend to make a variety of different flavored foods.  These eighteen days of cuisine were Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Thai, French, French Bistro and New American. (Above: Chili Colorado Stewed Beef Tacos with Grilled Zucchini)

(Oven Roasted Onions, Tomatoes and Garlic for Chili Colorado Sauce)

(Sauteed Spinach, Beet Greens, Onion, Garlic, Chicken for Pasta Papa Dish)

(Mexican Chicken Stew with Roasted Red and Yellow Peppers)

(Dried Red Chilis- I always wanted to try making a sauce with these.  I did and it was delish!)

(Chili-Cumin Crusted White Fish with Cilantro-Lime Dressed Salad)

(Cilantro-Lime Salad Dressing)

(Chicken Fried Rice with Sesame Scented Kale Salad)  I made this dinner after the exhaustive Chinese New Year feast I cooked the night before– Whole Steamed Fish with Ginger, Scallions and Shiitake Mushrooms in a Sesame/Garlic/Sake Sauce, Long Beans with Spicy Crisp Minced Pork, Pork and Vegetable Dumplings with a Spicy Chinese Dipping Sauce, Golden Pan Fried Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables, Oranges in Plum Wine)  I was too busy cooking that I forgot to take pictures

(Chinese Panko Crusted Lemon Chicken)

(Beef Vegetable Soup with Roasted Garlic/Tomato Spread and Homemade Artisan Bread)

(French Bistro Chicken in a Shallot/Mustard Cream Sauce)

(Kale Salad with Bacon with Shallot Balsamic Dressing)

(Beef Bourguignon- French Dish, Beef Stewed in Red Wine)

During my eighteen days of fulfilling my culinary creative itch, I realized that when I cook for someone, it is an act of love.  My heart, soul and passion for food are cooked into the meal as well.  The eaters may not put it to thought, but I can tell they taste the love.  And that is what brings me joy.

So after the eighteen days of being a personal chef, I thought my chefing days were over.  But I guess I am on a cooking roll because I’ve just been hired to cook for a family who wants to eat healthy but doesn’t know how to make healthy food taste flavorful.  I also have been asked to teach a cooking class on basic cooking techniques for chicken, meat or fish and how to season it for various flavored cuisines.  I’m looking forward to many hours of creating in the kitchen and seeing lots of satisfied, greasy-lipped smiles.

Here’s To You Finding Delicious Food,

Your Foodie Friend and Sensible Girlfriend