Food, food...glorious food!

Once upon a time I simply looked at food as sustenance.

Sure, I liked things that tasted good, but coming from a lower-income, single parent family, there wasn't a lot of money to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables.

We got free or low cost lunches at school and most nights consisted of TV dinners or Hamburger Helper and a can of some kind of vegetables. It was always a special treat when Mom would bust out the crock pot and make chicken and dumplings, goulash or my all time favorite....corned beef and cabbage!

I really did not have a desire to cook until I moved to NYC from Southern California. Not only did I experience some wonderful restaurants, but I made a lot of friends with a passion for cooking who have taught me a lot along the way. I didn't really start "dipping my toes in the water" so to speak, until I started spending every Christmas with my Israeli (also California raised) friend, Amira.

Amira and I would make "Jewish Christmas" dinners and she didn't let me get away with just drinking a glass of wine and handing her ingredients. She made me actually prepare and cook food even though I was completely intimidated. One of the most important lessons I've learned from Amira is to use fresh ingredients whenever possible. It really does make a huge difference!

So, this first blog post is dedicated to my beautiful friend, Amira Samuel.

You have encouraged and inspired me. I thank you for that my friend.

Thank you all for visiting Sonshine's Kitchen!

On Tonight's Menu: Homemade Pizza!

Bon appetit!