From Green Bean Casserole to Greenling: One Man's Culinary Evolution

When I decided to start this blog I didn't really put much thought into why.  Was it readership, credibility or just another cog in the social media machine that keeps us all connected?

Readership I've got.  Google Analytics tells me I've had 100 visits since the nomBlog's inception which may not be much compared to other bloggers out there, but I'm thrilled after just 2 posts.

Credibility....I'm still waiting on those invitations to new restaurant openings so perhaps that's where I need to focus some attention.  I'm not a chef.  My restaurant experience is limited to the following:

1.Concession stands at my high school stadium.  I held such illustrious titles as “Hot-dog Defrosting Technician” and “Lead Queso Associate”.  Despite what I know about how those things operate, I still find myself ordering a hot dog and nachos at DKR.  Pavlovian tendencies are tough to overcome.

2.Pizza delivery – the smell of pizza does not come out of vehicle upholstery.  I'm pretty sure that's a good thing.

3.Head food leecher- My parents purchased K&G Restaurant in Brenham shortly after I graduated high school.  Unfortunately, it was within driving distance of Austin so any trip home meant heavy grazing by yours truly.  If the buffet wasn't up, I was in the kitchen pestering the cook or tasting the latest pie or cake my mom cooked up for the day.  The freshman 15 evolved into the senior 40.

So, I'm not gaining any credibility based on work experience.  Everything I've learned over the past (gulp) 31 years has been passed down from some amazing cooks/people in my life.

It started with “Janet's (Mom's) Green Bean Casserole” which made appearances at just about every Thanksgiving/Christmas/family gathering mainly due to my siblings and I demanding it.  I don't remember how old I was when I was first trusted with preparing the dish, but I remember being floored when it got the seal of approval from my mom (the family seal of approval was an empty dish).  At that moment I realized that one of the best parts of cooking was seeing your work being enjoyed by others.  That's one of the biggest reasons for this blog.  Food is meant to be enjoyed, be it a simple casserole dish or a complex brisket on the pit.

When I turned 24, my mom gave me a recipe book that she'd put together that included many of the foods I'd grown up on.  Over the past 7 years I've made it a point to add to that book with recipes from friends, family and a bunch I've run across online.  The instructions are there...unfortunately, the will power to put them together has been lacking for quite some time.  Simply put, I can be a lazy guy; especially when it comes to grocery shopping.  A isn't much of a go-getter in that arena either so we've been living off a steady diet of quasi-fast food and various restaurants for far too long.

Enter Greenling.  In an effort to start eating better we've found our savior (or perhaps half-way house is  a better term).  Online grocery shopping.  Locally owned.  Farmed locally.  Organic.  Did I mention they bring it to your front door?  We're talking eggs from right here in Austin.  Cheese made in the Brazos Valley.  Beef raised in Bastrop.  Its going to be a gateway to help us start cooking more at home while simultaneously boosting the local economy.  Win friggin win.

Our first round was successful (breakfast for dinner one night, pork loin with acorn squash another) so I hope this leads to more home recipes on the blog.  If I can find a good price on steak my next entry will be overcoming the lack of a grill: how to pan sear steaky goodness.  Nomdiddilynom.