Life on the Left

Well, no. I'm not exactly one legged.

For months I have wanted to start my own food blog, recognizing that those in the food blog world are kindred spirits. I too spend endless hours skimming through cookbooks and cooking magazines, marking with myriad colors of post-its those recipes my taste buds would like to meet first. I work with food, play with food, dream about food. I love the kitchen, I love to eat, and I especially love cookbooks. We should call it what it is: a FOOD OBSESSION!

With the fixation on food already in place the last bit of motivation I needed to start my blog was an appropriate blog name. One that explained what my food personality is. I'm nothing close to gourmet, but nothing short of culinarily driven, and little too silly to hide. The proposed list was endless, with most arriving closer to stupid than clever.

So last night, the final bit of encouragement I needed came to me in a Nancy Kerrigan moment. In the second half of the Championship game of my indoor soccer league (soccer being one of my other true loves), up by one point, a sudden sharp bang sounded from the back of my right heel (complete with pain, of course.) I was sure my opponent had some how managed to wrap her leg behind me while still in full view in front of me, winding up with enough strength to bring me to the floor.

The unfortunate reality is that I completely ruptured my Achilles tendon. With that goes the ability to bear weight on my right foot. And thus the name: One Legged Chef. I'd apparently been looking for inspiration in all the wrong places.

I have yet to cook on one leg. Already, getting food from microwave to table has proven challenging, but I can't imagine a more fitting opportunity to spend some serious time honing my cooking skills, along with my balance.

I mostly cook from recipes created by others and want to share those stellar few that have made it into my repertoire. I do have a few that I've created on my own, but mostly this blog will chronicle my ambition to become a culinary master, and develop all the skills I need to twist the classics with a little of my own flair. I have a tendency toward rich savory foods, but living in the fruit basket (or is it salad bowl?) of the world I try my best to take advantage of the earth's bounty and eat balanced overall.

Thanks for sharing in my adventure, may we all be standing at the end.