And I'm off!

Okay, so I finally took the plunge into the world of blogging.  I love to cook - it's a relaxing, creative outlet.  It's also a link to my mom, a tremendously creative artist and fabulous cook, who passed away almost three years ago.  Most of my cooking is done at home in my rather small kitchen (but well-stocked - my pantry has been the brunt of many a joke), but I also enjoy cooking in less than perfect situations.  Cooking in the small galley of our boat is a challenge, especially with only a small toaster oven, but we usually eat well.  And I'm not the type to put a can of stew on the fire when camping, no, no, no.

The name - Virago Susie.  I know, it sounds a little like a porn star alias, but I'm about as far from that as you can imagine.  Here's the story.  My husband and I ride motorcycles.  Specifically, I ride a 1996 Yamaha Virago 1100.  Shortly after we bought it, my husband was curious what virago meant.  Great - he came up with "a loud, obnoxious woman".  Insert many minutes of uncontrollable laughter.  This was actually the nicest definition that he found.  Strong (yes, actually, I think I am), aggressive (only when I need to be), loud (probably after a couple of drinks), violent (no, not really).  Anyway, you get the picture.  But I LOVE MY BIKE!  I know, that was loud.  When your inseam is only 28 inches, finding a bike where your feet can be flat on the ground is a difficult undertaking.  But this bike fits me perfectly.  And it has power.  And it's nice looking.  Okay, okay, I think you get the point.

Back to the point of this blog.  I am only an average cook.  I learn more all the time - from cookbooks, television shows, other cooks - anywhere I can. And cooking where I live (basically in the middle of nowhere - you know, one of those very sparsely populated red states in flyover country) is often a challenge.  My sisters help by bringing or sending me ingredients that I can't find locally, and when I head out of town, shopping for kitchen/cooking stuff is always at the top of my list (my husband tolerates this knowing he'll enjoy the end result).  I like the basic comfort foods, and I like to experiment with unusual flavors.  No theme.

I hope you enjoy - and I hope I do, too!