Why Shen? I’ve been using Shendoah as a screen name since the mid 90′s. Everyone shortens it to Shen, and yes, I’ll respond to it in person too. (sad, lame, but true)
After being a full time mom for many years, I’m back in school, working on a certification for Holistic Health Counseling. I have awesome kids, whom I’ve trained over the years to give me feed back when I cook. “I don’t like it.” and “it’s yucky” never flew in my kitchen. If I don’t know WHY they don’t like it, I can’t change it.
After a time, my friends started asking “What do your kids eat” and I’d tell them. So my recipes are family friendly, and get regular kid reviews and feed back. Because of my interesting holistic health, my recipes also tend towards good for you. So they’ll be healthier AND kid friendly!
Because I respect my kids privacy, I shorthand their feed back. Just because I put myself out here doesn’t mean they are required to. So.
Me: I’m lactose intolerant. Severely. The mainstreaming of Soy Replacements means I’m on a quest to replace all those yummy dishes I can’t have. So you’ll find a LOT of lactose free (but not necessarily Casein or whey free) items here.
DH=Darling Husband. We’ve been married since 1994. He’s a more adventurous eater, and willing to try anything. He’s improving in his tolerance of spicy food.
DS= Darling Son. Now 12, he’s a fairly adventurous eater. Sensitive to textures and loves spicy foods. He’s my boy through and through.
DD=Darling Daughter (notice a theme?). Currently 9, she’s got her dad’s whimpy spice tolerance, not a fan of soups in general and doesn’t like her foods touching.
I’m not a chef, but I am a web junkie and use a lot of internet recipe sites. Anyone who can follow directions can be a great cook. I’m a pretty darn good cook.