Confession: food is an area I have grown to be a stickler for details. There are many areas where I miss the mark on details, but this is not one of them. Great flavor in a meal is something I have always found joy in, but didn’t go much farther than balancing steak and potatoes with a side of broccoli. 

As my future bride and I were courting, her family would cook for me. Now food has always been the most direct way to my heart, but what I was being introduced to was different. Slow cooked Cuban cuisine, with featured ingredients on my “pick out and pitch” list. Prior non-negotiables like onions, garlic, green olives, and raisins were now not only tolerable, but a joy to consume.

Cooking is something I have come to really enjoy. Since I have little time to experiment, I now identify as an aspiring, albeit frustrated chef. I don’t take too many risks in the things I cook now, but can’t stand to skip ingredients. I have branched out into ingredient substitution – a bit more on my WalMart Marsala in the morning.

DoD