heather_in_sf
Well-known member
I started visiting Gail's in 1996 and have been cooking since I was a young child.
My mom was an adventureous cook for the surburb where we lived, trying recipes from the newspaper, Julia Child's books and from our European friends. Most of my peers only had roasted chicken, steak and burgers, while we had teriyaki, fondue, goodies from Trader Vic's and the like! My first meal for my family was Sour Cream Potato Soup from the Spice Islands cookbook. I was also notorious for baking cakes and brownies for everyone, imagine their delight on St. Patricks Day when I presented a mint flavored white cake with green shamrocks in icing - surprise!
My sister used to watch Julia Child & Co on our black and white tv, she got me to join her then my mom joined us, and we were all hooked ever since. When I moved out at 17 (in SF and ever since) my gift from my family was a Joy of Cooking and a chef's knife - still my most used knife, a 14" Wustoff. Numerous other kitchen goodies followed, including Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol 1 & 2, which my beau at the time (a professional cook from NY) encouraged me to try everything in it - so I did! (this was 1984-5, too bad they didn't have blog's back then, wonder if they would be making a movie about me now if they did?)
He also started my Magnalite cookware collection, which I still use to this day, augmented with some fun copper pans and Le Crueset. We also dined out all of the time and he nudged/forced/encouraged me to speak with the chefs at each restaurant and to recreate the dishes at home. He taught me to barbeque also, in the fog on our deck in the 20 knot wind!
In 1990, I lived alone for the first time and had a blast entertaining all of my friends in my tiny apartment on Russian Hill. Then I met a man and we bought a house together in Sonoma county where I cooked for all of his friends. During this period I also learned to make gourmet meals while camping. When I moved back alone to SF 4 years later (with a kitten and a 14 foot UHaul, mostly of kitchen stuff), I started exploring Italian, Vietnamese and other Asian cuisines, and some Indian food - great fun, in my kitchen with a view of Fisherman's Wharf formerly a bedroom- technically a studio but the largest place I've ever had. Another beau later, who thought my cooking was too much trouble and why didn't I just do easier things (no wonder that didn't work out!), I had to move in 1999 and found my current studio with a smaller kitchen but I have an elevator! And room for a portable dishwasher, crucial for someone who hates to wash silverware.
My current (and I hope last) beau entertain a lot for both families and our combined friends - he's a great cook and I knew it was love when he made me veal Saltimboca for our 4th date. We did Thanksgiving for both families last year and the year before my crowning glory of a cocktail party for 92 for his 40th. He lives in Marin and we're there on weekends when we're not in the City doing urban things (aka dining out!) as he has a huge kitchen, and now a great new Weber (from me for Father's Day). I have become the family's resident expert in cuisine and am enjoying learning how his mom cooks their family favorites (they are Sicilian and she is a fantastic cook). We have started our "green book" series of menus and recipes in a journal format from our times cooking together, we are now on volume 2 and his 8 year old daughter is now contributing which is great fun. It's been five years now and we plot our meals with as much precision as MacArthur plotted his campaigns!
I lurked mostly in Gails but felt like it was family, and it was a sad time when all the sniping began, and sadder still when epi changed the format. I felt like I lost my right arm! Everyones recipes and advice have filled my life during my 'formative' years and this forum feels like home again (thanks Mimi). I have made some friends from Gail's with whom I correspond regularly offline, they are a real joy in my life ((hugs)).
It was my lifelong dream to meet Julia Child, which sadly never happened, although I met her sister in Safeway in Marin once. To close, as Julia would say, 'Bon Appetit'!
My mom was an adventureous cook for the surburb where we lived, trying recipes from the newspaper, Julia Child's books and from our European friends. Most of my peers only had roasted chicken, steak and burgers, while we had teriyaki, fondue, goodies from Trader Vic's and the like! My first meal for my family was Sour Cream Potato Soup from the Spice Islands cookbook. I was also notorious for baking cakes and brownies for everyone, imagine their delight on St. Patricks Day when I presented a mint flavored white cake with green shamrocks in icing - surprise!
My sister used to watch Julia Child & Co on our black and white tv, she got me to join her then my mom joined us, and we were all hooked ever since. When I moved out at 17 (in SF and ever since) my gift from my family was a Joy of Cooking and a chef's knife - still my most used knife, a 14" Wustoff. Numerous other kitchen goodies followed, including Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol 1 & 2, which my beau at the time (a professional cook from NY) encouraged me to try everything in it - so I did! (this was 1984-5, too bad they didn't have blog's back then, wonder if they would be making a movie about me now if they did?)
He also started my Magnalite cookware collection, which I still use to this day, augmented with some fun copper pans and Le Crueset. We also dined out all of the time and he nudged/forced/encouraged me to speak with the chefs at each restaurant and to recreate the dishes at home. He taught me to barbeque also, in the fog on our deck in the 20 knot wind!
In 1990, I lived alone for the first time and had a blast entertaining all of my friends in my tiny apartment on Russian Hill. Then I met a man and we bought a house together in Sonoma county where I cooked for all of his friends. During this period I also learned to make gourmet meals while camping. When I moved back alone to SF 4 years later (with a kitten and a 14 foot UHaul, mostly of kitchen stuff), I started exploring Italian, Vietnamese and other Asian cuisines, and some Indian food - great fun, in my kitchen with a view of Fisherman's Wharf formerly a bedroom- technically a studio but the largest place I've ever had. Another beau later, who thought my cooking was too much trouble and why didn't I just do easier things (no wonder that didn't work out!), I had to move in 1999 and found my current studio with a smaller kitchen but I have an elevator! And room for a portable dishwasher, crucial for someone who hates to wash silverware.
My current (and I hope last) beau entertain a lot for both families and our combined friends - he's a great cook and I knew it was love when he made me veal Saltimboca for our 4th date. We did Thanksgiving for both families last year and the year before my crowning glory of a cocktail party for 92 for his 40th. He lives in Marin and we're there on weekends when we're not in the City doing urban things (aka dining out!) as he has a huge kitchen, and now a great new Weber (from me for Father's Day). I have become the family's resident expert in cuisine and am enjoying learning how his mom cooks their family favorites (they are Sicilian and she is a fantastic cook). We have started our "green book" series of menus and recipes in a journal format from our times cooking together, we are now on volume 2 and his 8 year old daughter is now contributing which is great fun. It's been five years now and we plot our meals with as much precision as MacArthur plotted his campaigns!
I lurked mostly in Gails but felt like it was family, and it was a sad time when all the sniping began, and sadder still when epi changed the format. I felt like I lost my right arm! Everyones recipes and advice have filled my life during my 'formative' years and this forum feels like home again (thanks Mimi). I have made some friends from Gail's with whom I correspond regularly offline, they are a real joy in my life ((hugs)).
It was my lifelong dream to meet Julia Child, which sadly never happened, although I met her sister in Safeway in Marin once. To close, as Julia would say, 'Bon Appetit'!