Gentlemen (and ladies), fire your ovens!

Hi there.  Welcome to my blog, The Connoisseur Chronicles.  What’s the point, you ask?  Well, I like, among other things, food and wine.  Not only do I like cooking but I really like trying new recipes and subjecting my family to the unknown.  It’s unfair, I know, to spring new tastes on them at my whim but it’s fun for me and hey, everyone should try new things at least once a week!  Anyway, that’s what my blog is going to focus on – the new recipes I try, where they’re from and how it went.  By the way, I’m a runner and a slight health nut, so the majority of what I try is going to at least be a little on the healthy side.  I may “slip” every now and then and make some deep fat fried chicken or a full fat chocolate cake – YUM! – but most everything will be close enough to consider as good for you.  Of course, you don’t have to share that with whomever YOU cook for.  It’ll be our little secret. J

I’m not a chef by any stretch – I don’t create my own concoctions.  I do, however, change up a recipe at times and I’ve found that sometimes that is necessary.  I get my recipes from “professionals” but they can be like me – not perfect (amazing, I know!) – and sometimes, things just don’t work out right.  So, I will try recipes on my guinea pigs, um, I mean, husband and kids and will let you know how they turned out.  I’ll even post photos of the finished products and give you the recipes!  Woohoo! 

Hey wait, I said I like wine too.  It’s true, I do….A LOT!  Not only do I like wine, I like learning about wine and one day, when I grow up, would like to be a sommelier.  Okay, the reality is that I’m never going to be a sommelier but it’s fun to think I might.  I even daydream about going to UC Davis and getting my degree in Oenology and Viticulture (the study of grapes and how to make them taste yummy!).  Anyway, I’ll let you know about the bottles I try – what I thought, what I paired it with, etc.  Since I’m shopping at normal liquor stores, these options should be widely available.  I’m new to the area I’m in now – small town, Florida, USA – but I haven’t located any boutique wine shops yet so the likelihood that you won’t be able to find the same is low.

Anywho, I hope you find my blog informative and I inspire you to try new recipes and new vintages!  If you do, I would love to hear about it!  And, if you mix it up, let me know and I’ll try your changes too! 

Happy cooking, eating and drinking!