When I was a little girl if anyone asked me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I easily replied, "a mom." I wanted to carpool and bake cookies and do arts and crafts and raise babies. My Mom was pretty much super mom and I wanted to be just like her. But before chasing the mom dream, I had a little bit of living to do.
College was pretty much a non-negotiable with my parents so upon high school graduation, I was off to Florida State. I earned a BFA in Technical Theatre (emphasis on Stage Management) with a minor in Studio Art. I graduated in the winter of 2000 and got a waitressing job for the summer at a little open-air cafe on the beach to save money to go backpacking Europe before jumping into my career. That was the summer I met my Matt. We moved into a small house on the beach together and the rest is history. We fell in love, got married and had a beautiful baby girl. Fast forward four years and we welcomed a baby boy, our fireball. I never did make it to Europe, but lucky for me, sometimes fate has a way of steering you in a different direction than you had planned.
THE TRADITION
When I was growing up, my mother had to deal with the struggles of getting her children to try new foods, as parents often do. My three sisters and I all had particular likes and dislikes, but my mother wasn't one to cook four different meals for four different picky little girls. That's where The Two Bite Club comes in. When my oldest sister started school, her teacher, Mrs. Kennedy, planned a day when all of the children brought in an interesting food for the rest of the class to try. My Mom sent my sister with prunes! When each student tried the new foods they became a member of The Two Bite Club. It was successful in the classroom setting, so my Mom figured why not bring it home and keep the tradition going!
CLUB RULES
The Two Bite Club is all about trying new things. If, as a member of the club, you are presented with a food that you have never tried before, there's no turning up your nose if you think you might not like it. Instead, the rule is you've got to try two bites. After those two bites, if you decide you've had your fill of that new food, then that's a-okay. No one said you had to like it, you just had to try it. You'd be surprised at how many times one of the headstrong children in my family ended up liking what they assumed they wouldn't!
You can bring The Two Bite Club to your family! All you have to do is make the commitment to fearlessly try new foods and dishes as you come across them. Need some ideas? Like The Two Bite Club on Facebook or Follow me on Twitter to get a preview of every new recipe as it's posted. To get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Two Bite Club by email. Why not start your own Two Bite Club tradition! Print this awesome Membership Certificate for your kids! After all, no one wants to be left out of the club.
MY PHILOSOPHY
As far as a food and cooking philosophy goes, I believe in cooking from scratch (or at least semi-homemade) and sitting down to the table to eat as a family. I also believe in passing down family recipes from generation to generation. Who would want spaghetti sauce from a can when you could whip up MeMe's Slow Simmered Spaghetti Sauce that wafts the tantalizing smell of sausage, basil, and garlic throughout the entire house? I don't cook anything too fancy or pretentious, just everyday meals using ingredients that most people already have in their pantry.
I created this blog as a place for me to gather and document meals and memories for future generations of my family to enjoy. I encourage you to take a look around, find a recipe that calls to you and embrace the tradition of gathering the special people in your life around the table to make some yummy memories.
