About Jenn:

By no stretch of the imagination am I an authority on food or cooking. I am neither an expert nor a professional (I’m saving my armature status for the Cooking Olympics in 2012), but I am learning. Most of my knowledge is derived from Internet searches and hands-on experience, which is constantly growing. Almost every recipe here is a recipe that I have tried myself in my own kitchen, and I try to add my own tips and suggestions as I go.

I started cooking almost four years ago, mostly because I was bored with dining out and wanted to make something tasty without fighting traffic and spending tons of money. In the process, I have learned how rewarding a good meal can be when it’s made at home with a little bit of love. I enjoy cooking for others very much, and I try to share my food with folks as often as possible.

Recently, I have taken up gardening, a new venture that allows me to reap the rewards of growing my own food. As with cooking, it has been a learning process with steps and stumbles along the way, but I am excited to see where it leads me!

About the Misunderstood Eggplant:

Over time, this site has evolved into a creation all its own. The posts have grown to encompass more information about the recipes and my experiences with food in and out of the kitchen. One of the topics I posted about was titled The Misunderstood Eggplant, based on the title of an article that ran in the New York Times.

To summarize the article, and the reason why I chose to write about it, the eggplant is a beautiful yet seriously unappreciated food. Eggplant is versatile and can be quite tasty, but the key is in the preparation. The article struck a chord with me because James and I had often quarreled, in jest, over my cooking and serving eggplant. The first time I made eggplant, I steamed it according to the recipe and the results where similar in taste and texture to a dry sponge. James was not quick to forget that experience.

Since then, I have prepared eggplant in a variety of ways that have been delightful. James no longer puts up a protest when I mention eggplant, but he still likes to recount the story of eggplant gone horribly wrong. It has almost become a legend, a cooking story we both tell over and over again. The Misunderstood Eggplant has come to represent my journey in the kitchen, a culmination of my experiences and successes (or failures) in cooking.