for tNb, my favorite yogi and me

Most of my adult life I have been looking for the perfect cookbook. One that includes recipes sorted by when the main ingredients are in season, includes menu items to go with the particular dish, provides a wine pairing and tastes great through the simplicity of the ingredients. I haven't found it yet.

At the same time I grow a lot of my own fruits, vegetables and herbs and after many years consider myself a bit of an urban farmer. Inevitably I end up sharing this bounty with my friends but many of them are, uhm, culinary challenged so recipes need to be provided with the gift. Unfortunately standard recipes are more often than not meant for those who already know how to cook so I have a few friends that still have 'accidents' in the kitchen which is so unfortunate. Meals should be enjoyed! From preparation through to after meal conversation and preferably with a great glass of wine, or two.

This site is primarily for three people: one who wants to learn to cook, one who is rediscovering the warmth of a shared meal (without poisoning her loved one) and my desire for the perfect cookbook.

But before we begin just a few comments:

• two of us live in Vancouver, BC and one in Serpins, Portugal;
• although I loved the 100-Mile Diet (and was proud they did it while living in an apartment in Kitsilano) we won't be as strict;
• the items 'in season locally'? first preference will be from the lower mainland and BC and go down the west coast stopping at California (my native home state);
  
• The exception will be for avocado's - I just can't give them up and justify this carbon footprint extreme by the fact that most times I just walk to my back yard for food so the average works for me (hah! such a hypocrite);
• the blog will be in four seasons that we have here in Vancouver: winter (December - March), spring (April - June), summer (July - September) and fall (October - November);
• an offering a week is the minimum to keep them in the kitchen but could be more when the bounty is plentiful;
• no question is stupid. Ask away. My mom was a chef and my dad's only hobby is wine. We grew most of our own food while I was growing up in northern California. I think I can handle most of your questions.

So, hopefully a year from now we have atleast 52 easy meal options that were enjoyed with a great glass of wine and had that intense, organic, local taste to them that is lost in the vast noise of availability.

These words were on the wall of Ella Mae's Gourmet Kitchen which I read every day at every meal for almost thirty years:

La bonne cuisine est la base du veritable bonheur.

Bon Appétit!