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About The Cook

I am many things...a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend...a student of sewing, a scrapbooker, a wanna-be quilter, a cross-stitcher...addicted to checking my e-mail, afraid of deep water...a graduate student, a teacher, a youth group leader...a Christian, a lover of good books, a Veggie Tales watcher...and, obviously, a cooker, a baker, and, yes, sometimes even a candle-stick maker.

The idea for this blog came about after the doctor told me that I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome and suggested that I modify my diet to be lower in fat and dairy free.  Now, I love...love...comfort food, so I was really not okay with this!  None of the IBS recipes that I found were anything like down-home country cooking.  I had my share of pity parties (plenty of them), but in the end I decided to make the best of it. I began taking those old country favorites and turning them into low-fat, dairy-free recipes that I could enjoy, that my husband would still love, and that my guests would never know were modified!

Since then, a few things have changed.  A different doctor has actually given me the more specific diagnosis of Fructose Malabsorption, so this has altered my eating quite a bit.  I'm not so sure that I need to give up dairy and red meat and all of those things I used to deprive myself of.  On the other hand, this does mean limiting things like high fructose corn syrup, fruit, and fructans (which I'm still learning about).  As I go through the ups-and-downs of learning how to eat, I'm using this blog as a way to make it fun - if I can create food that anyone would like...and if, at the same time, it fits with my dietary restrictions...I consider it a success!

About My Recipes
I have only one qualification for food that I showcase - it must be delicious...really delicious.  And it must be delicious to both my husband and me.  We're pretty tough critics!  Lots of food doesn't make it on this website.  But you can be assured that the ones that do have been tested and approved.

When I pick a recipe, I generally look for something not-too-complicated with normal ingredients.  I'm a firm believer that food should be worth the effort you put into creating it, so I am naturally drawn to recipes that look hearty in both taste and portion size.  At the same time, though, I am concerned about my family's health.  As a result, most (not all) of the recipes I showcase are low in fat and calories and avoid processed foods as much as possible.  Whenever possible, I will provide nutritional information for the recipe and make suggestions for modifying the recipe depending on your diet.