I've been thinking about a blog for some time. What interesting topic could I possibly post about?

Earlier this spring my wife and I took a real vacation. Not visiting family, not a three day extended weekend, nothing too close, a real honest to g-d vacation. We did it right. I mean, really right. This was the first time since I began working that I stopped thinking about work. I enjoyed every minute away from my everyday life and had to drag myself back into it. We went to Europe for 17 days visiting five countries on a cruise, spending three of those days on our own in Rome. Amazing. We took some incredible photos, we ate some wonderful food, and we visited places the both of us had always wanted to see. The two of us had an incredible time together. I am really happy that we were able to do this. I can't wait until the next time we have the chance to do something like this again.

The experience I had eating in Europe, even on the cruise-ship, was different than any that I've had here at home. Food was fresher, flavors more pronounced. I appreciated the way that restaurants were operated. Everything seemed to be centered around the food and the chance to enjoy it. Now I've always enjoyed food. I've always enjoyed preparing food and I've even had thoughts of going to culinary school. I'm no chef. It is not my aspiration to cook day in and day out for several hundred or even several tens of people. I enjoy cooking for my wife and myself. I enjoy cooking for my friends and family on occasion. I really enjoy spending time in the kitchen, then in the back yard drinking a beer while playing with our dogs as something sizzles away on the grill.

Because of that experience I've decided to share what I prepare and how I prepare it in a blog. The plan is to also post photos of the finished product and even some pictures of the food in progress. I cannot guarantee that everything will turn out right. In fact, I hope things don't always go as planned. It's been my experience that I learn more and faster from mistakes than from my successes. This is an opportunity to learn new skills, new flavors combinations (flavor palate- thanks Top Chef for the lingo), and grow as a cook.