The requisite introduction:

My name is Kristen. I like to cook. And sometimes bake. And I usually mutter to myself while doing both, thus the name. I find experimenting in the kitchen rewarding, especially when those eating the creations actually enjoy them. So this blog is dedicated to the successes and failures of my kitchen. Perhaps it will help me to remember the likes and dislikes of those I feed. I have friends who can't eat spicy food (never forget to inform heat-intolerant people that the skin of the baked chicken is rubbed with copious amounts of red pepper); my mother has an aversion to strong lemon or sour flavors and alcohols of most kinds in entrees (forgot that when serving her a dish with a sauce made almost entirely of wine and lemon juice...oops); our family also includes the lactose-intolerant and those on salt and sugar-free diets. Holidays have become an interesting time of attempting to feed everyone something they can or will actually eat. Most of the year, however, I spend time cooking for me, and those I live with basically tolerate my experimentation or personal tastes while making occassional requests for "something normal...like meatloaf?"