Hello Mom?....I'm in love! His name?....Salami! No, no...he's not an Arab

You heard it here first gang, I'm in love with food. Food, glorious food! What other delight in this world can bring together people from every walk of life and unite them in wonderful ecstacy? Food combines the senses of smell, taste, sight and touch into a serendipitous symphony for the soul. Just the mention of some foods evokes fond memories of childhoods past, moments in time that could have been long forgotten are brought back by the simple aroma of something simmering on the stove or baking in the oven. In this day and age of healthful lifestyles, we have been taught somehow that food is a bad thing. I take great issue with this. Food in and of itself is not a bad thing, it is how it is used or prepared that can be bad. No more than guns are bad....guns are not bad, it's what you do with it. Weapons have been used since the beginning of time for the hunting of food to fill the bellies of hungry families. *For all those who have issues with guns...that subject is a whole other blog so please don't comment me with a tirade of angst. I'm simply saying that anything in excess or used in a way other than what was intended can be harmful. I say it's time we change our thoughts on the subject of food. I used to weigh 302 pounds so when I say food can be harmful, I know firsthand. Food was my friend and my enemy, My comfort and the source of my despair. I turned to food when I was happy, sad, angry, joyous, fearful....you get the point. I believe we all do this to a degree. How many get togethers have you gone to where there wasn't food? It's a bonding agent, the one thing that we all can relate to in times of happiness and times of sorrow. We have a feast after a wedding and take food to grieving loved ones after a funeral.

My goal with this website is to celebrate the foods that make me happy and bring back memories and to share them with anyone who wants them. I want this to be an interactive thing. I want to share the foods that you have made a part of your life and family. It's a little cyber-bonding if you will. I also want to see if you and I can come up with healthful alternatives to some of our favorites by tweaking and experimenting with recipes without making them taste like cardboard or something that you would have eaten on a commune in the 1960's. Let's do this together and see if we can have some fun. Have a recipe? Share it! Tried a recipe from here? Comment on it and if you did something to make it better....tell me! By the way, if you have nutritional info on the recipe please post it as well. Let's have some fun! Here's my first one:

WHOLE WHEAT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, honey, brown sugar and egg until smooth. Combine the whole wheat flour and baking powder; stir into the batter until blended. Roll into small balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly using a fork.
3. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cookies are slightly toasted at the edges.

Nutritional Information

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies

Servings Per Recipe: 36

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 107

• Total Fat: 6.4g
• Cholesterol: 13mg
• Sodium: 70mg
• Total Carbs: 11.3g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.9g
• Protein: 2.6g