I always say that cooking isn’t hard, it just takes practice. I would be lying if I said all my recipes turned out amazing… just ask my mom and one of my best friends – they were my true Guinea pigs at the beginning. Some of those dishes did NOT work out! My husband is my food critic now, although, he says everything I make is tasty… not sure if he’s just saying that to stay out of the dog house.
Just to be clear, I don’t always cook crazy complex recipes. I have my standard recipes I circle through, but I’ve been told that my “standard” recipes are not the norm. One of my favourite memories was a time when I was in a store in the kitchen isle. There were two ladies next to me looking at a box of a pots and pans. There are always pictures of food on the boxes and this box had a picture of seared salmon with potatoes and asparagus. One lady was like “Who even cooks like that?” and without hesitation I just turned and said “I do”. Those ladies gave me the weirdest look… I guess they don’t cook salmon with potatoes and asparagus… Yeah it was pretty funny.
How is started
Cooking for me started when I moved across the country and I didn’t have my parents to rely on anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I can make a killer Kraft Dinner, but I couldn’t live on KD forever. That time in your early twenties when you are figuring out who you are and what you want to do with your life is the time I discovered I really enjoyed cooking. It sounds funny, but I love to spend hours on a meal that only takes 15-20 minutes to eat. Some may think it’s such a waste of time, for me, it’s a way to release stress and get into my own world.
My inspirations
I’ve worked in the restaurant industry in the front of the house for close to 20 years (kinda dating myself here), so I’ve been around food for a long time. I’ve worked all kinds of restaurants from French fine dining, casual dining, golf courses and family-owned Italian restaurants. Those jobs exposed me to all kinds of different types of food and cooking styles. I loved being in those kitchens watching the chefs do their thing. (I had one boss ask me if he should give me an apron to go work on the line since I was always in the kitchen!) It thought me flavour profiles, plating ideas, and creativity.
Traveling is also a huge passion of mine. I love experiencing different cultures, seeing their history and obviously eating their food. Those experiences also reflect in my food.
My favourite foods
Italian and French food are my favourite. I could eat pasta everyday! I love the simplicity of Italian cooking, but I also love the complexity of French cooking. I love comfort food – a good hearty beef stew or a traditional turkey dinner. If I had to pick my all-time favourite dish it would either be Moules Frites (Mussels and Fries) or Rigatoni Bolognese.
Meeesh’s Kitchen
Meeesh’s Kitchen started when I was posting my food pictures on social media. A friend suggested that I started a blog to post my recipes. My blog turned into a website, and here we are now. My site is to share my favourite recipes, tips and experiences. I must admit at first I was pretty diligent on adding new content, but sometimes life gets in the way and it’s a lot easier just to snap a picture and post on Instagram. I will do my best to update my site more often.
Meeesh's Kitchen 