nicole h galli

I always have been fond of the kitchen and its endless array of gadgets and aromatic herbs and spices. I had learned the basics from watching my mom cook and when I tried it with my personal twist on things, I became a really good cook. My first memory of cooking was when my grandma would make homemade spaghetti and meatball for Christmas. No measuring cups aloud! “Handfuls of this, a hefty dash of that. some of that sounds good… so let's add it. It always needs more garlic.”

As I grew up, I would pick up tips and tricks from tv shows, magazines, and mostly from the line cooks and chefs at the restaurant jobs I had. I would always find myself in the kitchen bothering the chef about what he was preparing and what he was adding to it as well as what I think would be a good pairing. I learn all these techniques and flavor pairings that I just have to try. Luckily I have family and friends to be the samplers of whatever I decide to create. My family loves it because they'll randomly come home to a batch of salsa in the fridge, a pan of focaccia bread on the counter, dinner on the stove, and dessert in the oven. More importantly, I love dancing around the kitchen throwing a random assortment of spices and herbs in hopes it fits the flavor profile I'm searching for. I love the excitement of hearing the timer telling me the oven is done. Anywho, making dinner is always an icebreaker activity, so what's for dinner?