Hey, This Isn't Food Network!

I am not going to turn my blog into a food blog, promise.

That being said, I love everything food. I love meal planning, grocery shopping, making meals and desserts, and I especially love eating the results. Even more than actually eating them myself, I love cooking for my family and friends. I actually get a little bit of a "chef's high" from making an especially delicious creation and seeing my friends enjoy it. When they get that "look" of pure enjoyment, I get all happy inside. Yesterday, I made apple butter in my crock pot. The house smelled like what heaven must . . . all fragrant with cinnamon, cloves, and apples, simmering away. I then made fresh drop biscuits to spread the yummy goodness on. That tasted like pure heaven on a plate. One of my friends actually requested a "moment alone" with her treat.

I know most people have a preference of baking (cookies, brownies, bread, etc.) or cooking (more of the meal part, if you will) and if I had to choose, I would say that I ultimately prefer cooking. With baking, you have to be pretty precise or things do not turn out well. With cooking, you can be more creative. I rarely use a recipe after the first time making something. I get an idea of the basic recipe and then just wing it in the future. But you can be creative with baking, too, so long as you get the basic ingredients, most specifically any leavening agents, correctly measured, you can usually add and subtract other ingredients, too. See? I really love both. So it's a good thing that I don't have to choose!

I have learned most of my recipes from watching food shows, asking friends for their favorites, scouring through cookbooks, and reading through my latest addiction. . . food blogs! I love, love, love food blogs. I feel as if I have found "my people" when I go to a food blog. I don't like the heavily commercialized ones, but I do love the ones where an honest-to-goodness foodie is at the helm, putting their amazing recipes out for the world to see. We are a meat and potato, noodle and sauce family. Most of the recipes and sites that I am attracted to and make fall into that category.

My latest true love is this blog. This is where I got the recipes for both the apple butter and the drop biscuits. The drop biscuits were so easy to make. The apple butter was not difficult but it was very time consuming. Trust me when I tell you it so worth it. I can see it being an economical, fun gift to give out at the holidays to neighbors and friends.

What is your food style? Are you more of a baker or a cooker (is that even a word)? I asked for a recipe share a few weeks back, and got quite a few good ideas, but if you have more standbys, please feel free to leave one in the comment section. I am always on the prowl for a new favorite!