About

Hi, I’m Meg. You’re reading my blog, so that’s neat. This is mainly a self-glorifying (what blog isn’t?) page, in case you’re wondering more about the author.
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I’m 21 years old, I’m a culinary school drop-out, and I’m pretty satisfied with that. I’ve been working in restaurants since I was 14, and grew up spending the majority of my time around a family of pretty damn good cooks, at-home and professional. My time spent in the womb was also in the bakery/general store that my mom worked at with my aunt. Now I work at the Paris Bakery, and it’s awesome, and I’ve recently started enjoying the many reliefs of Robaxecet, and my personal favourite, CRYO-DERM!
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Most of my time is spent cooking, or thinking about cooking, and I do most of it with my husband, Jon, who I mention pretty frequently on this blog. He’s a culinary school drop-out too, although now apprenticing at The Cedar House. Together, we own a KitchenAid mixer, many space heaters, a she-devil ladycat named Big Suze, and our Shih Tzu/Yorkie/Poodle puppy, Olive (Deh Schmollz). Jon enjoys bacon and all things bacon-related, also.
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Generally, on this blog, you’re going to find recipes for home food, because that’s what I like. Old-fashioned, from-scratch, slow food. Too many people don’t know how to cook these days, and I want things to change. So, if you don’t know how to do it, let me know, and I’ll do my damndest to help. Cooking good food for people makes me feel elated, but it’s even better when I find out my self-proclaimed I-Can’t-Cook readers let me know they tried a recipe from my blog, and they got amazing feedback from family and friends. Cooking can be an arrogant thing. It’s so much better when you cook for others, and with others.
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Regarding home food, my favourites are, well, home food. I’m a bit of a spazz when it comes to Southern U.S.A. cuisine, and I’ve done my share of educating myself on it, from books, online authors, and friends. Within that category, I’m also particularly fond of Cajun cooking, and am an advocate for throwing out jars of the pre-mixed spice variety. I’m usually a stickler for authenticity, and despise fusion food for reasons unbeknownst to me. However, I have seen my mother making a “pierogi stir-fry,” from time to time, and it’s quite delicious, I must admit. Otherwise, I’ve got some Italian roots, and from time to time will post family recipes, the majority of which come from my dad. I have never seen anyone work an electric frying pan like that man. It’s kind of breathtaking.
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My other interests are fairly nerdy and housewifey, but that’s how it goes. I’m big on antiques, I like to knit, sew, and grow vegetables. I love reading and writing, particularly blogs, and have a painful amount of information in my head about parrots, although I do not own one. Yet. I also like to collect antique figurines, particularly cardinals, and have a large mug and tea cup collection, because I drink a hell of a lot of coffee and tea. I ride a 1974 Raleigh Wayfarer, and I am privileged to play the most glorious 100 year old fiddle ever, along with a cheap, yet pretty good sounding guitar, and I’m currently learning to play the Mountain (Lap) Dulcimer!  My favourite musicians are The Avett Brothers and John Prine, and various other folk-y awesome bluegrass-y goodness. But this is a food blog, not a music blog. Although, Joe Kwon of The Avett Brothers has an awesome food-travel blog with recipes, and you should check it out!
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I digress. My favourite cooks are Paula Deen (my queen), Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Chuck Hughes and Ina Garten. I like making fun of Ricardo and Chef at Home, and I’d give anything to initiate some kind of polyamorous relationship with Geoff Manthorne of Ace of Cakes... Anyhow! The best cookbooks I can recommend are, well, anything by Paula Deen, Harrowsmith Country Cookbook, Food That Schmecks by Edna Staebler, Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, Epicurious.com, Food.com (formerly Recipezaar). It’s a great resource, and I’ve been using it since I was 13 or so. One of the best places to acquire authentic recipes (especially Southern), as far as my opinion is concerned. Otherwise, I like using Google Translate to find authentic recipes from other non-English-speaking countries.
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I live in Southern Ontario, grew up in a little village on Lake Erie, and someday hope to have many chickens, goats, vegetable gardens, parrots and children. So far, I have a river in my backyard.