Introductions

Hi everyone!  I am so glad to have found this site.  I am a stay at home mother of 6 that loves to cook (I also have a part time job out of my house doing dictation work for an orthopedic surgeon). I am not a professional; however, I have been told that I should be.....Maybe 1 day when the kids are out or at least all of them are in school I will be able to look into that.  I actually found this site while doing research for the best pots and pans....... With money being tight I have always purchased decent pots and pans, but never the best which in turn has me purchasing them often.  I am proud to say that after saving for quite a while I just today purchased a 5 piece set of Mauviel cookware.  I am so excited and can't wait to start on dinner tonight!  My kiddos love when I wake them up to french omelettes with swiss and parsley for fillers.  Nice, simple, and delicious!  I can't wait to see the difference between this set and my old stuff.  With a large family we don't eat out but a few times a year so in wanting my kids to grow up not being finicky eaters I cook and bake just about everything (even if I know I don't like it).  1 thing I do is look up different restaurants menus, get the descriptions of the meals and improvise.  It is amazing how a large family can eat really nice gourmet meals for 1/4 of the price at home versus going out.  

Also, I did not know how to describe myself so I put home chef.  If that is not right, please let me know so I can change that.  

I am looking forward to meeting new people, learning new techniques, and trying new things!   

Hi Mezzaluna, thanks for responding.  The set worked great! They heated up faster and the heat was nice and even.  I am going to start saving so I can invest in some bigger pieces since I cook for an army daily.  They do discolor quickly, but I think that just shows character.  

My family is originally from the east coast and my grandmother used to teach me dishes that were passed down from her mother and grandmother.  My father "cooked" and my mother "baked" at home.  When I was 13 I got my first job at a little mom and pop pizza place.  The owner had had his own little pizzeria in New York and decided to move to Texas.  Since he was just starting out here, I was his only employee (except his wife).  I learned how to and made pizza dough from scratch, sauce from scratch...etc.  When I was in college I actually worked in the dorm kitchen cooking for the whole dorm.  After I got married, my mother-in-law did more interesting dishes that compelled me to really start branching out and trying new things.  So, for the last 17 years or so that I have had my own kitchen I have really expanded my knowledge and my palette (I was a pretty picky eater growing up).  At 1 time I was looking at going to culinary school, but I had 2 little ones at home and it would have cost me $60,000 (which I did not have).  I pretty much through trial and error and a lot of research am able to make quite an array of appetizers, breads, salads, sauces, sides, main dishes, and desserts.  I can't wait to learn more!!!!!!  

Also during the holidays, I make homemade biscotti and sell it locally.  

I also make soy candles and soap and sell them locally.