Herbs and Spice and Everything Nice

I guess what inspired me to start this blog is my interest in all things herbs, cooking, kitchen and entertaining related. Let me insert a little background in here-my husband is in the Marine Corps, and he started late, at 25. I am 3 and a half years older. Currently, I'm 33. We're living in a housing section on base where 99.9% of the occupants are under the age of 25, so finding people with interests that are similar to mine...well, let's just say it's not easy.

I have one really good girlfriend who is interested in SOME of the things I like...junking, antique hunting and yard saleing, crocheting and all manner of crafty projects,(she also is my business partner in our photography studio). But when it comes to my passion for herbs and cooking and entertaining, I'm sort of on my own.

My parents raised me to be an adventurous eater. I grew up in my mom's kitchen, and my grandmother's(we call her Mopsie). Both taught me how to cook and craft, and enjoy the arts of cooking and entertaining. My mom was always trying new dishes, and "encouraged" my sister and I to try everything(ok, so she forced us to eat what was put in front of us, but hey, it developed our palates.). In the summer she always took advantage of local produce and wild fruits. We bought vegetables and fruits from local farmers, and spent many hours picking blackberries in the fields and roadsides. Most of these ended up on the table fresh, but a lot of it also ended up frozen or canned as jams, jellies, juice, preserves, sauces, pickles, etc.

Mopsie taught me about plants and gardens, baking and entertaining. She owned her own craft shop attached to her house, and she hosted many seminars. It was not uncommon to see her running her daily business, hosting a seminar, wrangling two rambunctious granddaughters, caring for 3-4 houseguests, caring for her plants and gardens, and cooking marvelous meals all at the same time. To me she was Wonder Woman. I can still recall the smell of baking bran muffins, and I have yet to find any apple pie ANYWHERE that could match the ones she made so effortlessly.

Another thing I remember so well are the plants. How to care for a Christmas cactus. Crushing leaves of bee balm and smelling them in the garden(which is why I have bee balm planted in my garden to this day. I always crush a leaf or two, and think of her.). Making potpourris and sachets from lavender or rose petals, rosehips and cloves. Picking Queen Anne's Lace from the roadsides. Smelling apple blossoms. All of these things I always associate with my Mopsie. I think she began my passion for herbs, without even knowing it.

My mom taught me lots of things about cooking, but the one thing that always attracted my attention was the MASSIVE amount of spices, herbs, flavorings and blends in her spice cabinet. To me, magic came out of that cupboard. She would often throw some hamburger or chicken on the counter, then open that magic cabinet and start thinking. It always seemed to me she would pull out a little bit of this, or a sprinkle of that and voila! ordinary became delicious.

So, those are a few of my inspirations. Today, I have a passionate interest in herbs and spices, cooking and entertaining, thanks to these women. As I continue this blog, I hope to inspire others the way I've been inspired! Stay tunes for good stuff from the kitchen and garden!