About

When my wife and I first got engaged, I created an Instagram account, @cooking_for_my_wife. It was a silly idea. I love to cook, and she hates to cook. She loves photography and social media, I can’t be bothered. So this Instagram account became our first married(ish)-couple hobby. The photos are all of food that I have made, styled, photographed, and hash-tagged by my wife.

Friends and family have asked for the recipes to dishes they’ve seen on our account. Unfortunately, there is a problem with that request: 9 times out of 10, I didn’t use a “recipe.” Most of the dishes I make are improvised.

Many of us rely heavily on recipes and cookbooks to make our food every day. Not for everything. Excepting complete kitchen novices, I don’t know anyone who needs a recipe for scrambled eggs for example. For most of the 25 years that I have been cooking, I’ve relied on recipes. Then my wife teased me for it. “My mom never used a recipe. She never used measuring spoons either. Why can’t you just make something?”

Frankly, it was because I was afraid. A recipe is a safety net for the non-professional cook. It’s a step-by-step guide that says, “Do this, and when you’re done it will taste pretty good.” But without understanding the whys and hows of recipes, it’s difficult to invent your own. Most of us don’t have the time – or think we don’t have the time – to learn what we need in order to improvise in the kitchen.

My goal is to change that. I’m going to help take the mystery out of gustatory improvisation so that you can unleash your own creativity in the kitchen. It’s much easier than you think.