First time

So I was going to write this on the wall of my Facebook group 'Eat THIS!' but realized it was getting kinda long, and thought maybe it would be nice to share here for more people to read!
So I was at the store years ago looking for something to make my friends.  Keeping in mind that a couple of my friends have cooked for me some unique things and they are vegetarian. probably one of the first times in my life I really tried to think out of the box and really try something different.  I'm still pretty new to the whole cooking thing!  I never cooked when I was growing up.  My mom used the kitchen and no one was allowed in there.  So I never really started cooking till I was older and moved out, but even then it was basic things.  Nothing fancy.  I didn't really come out of my shell as a cook till about three years ago.


Anyways, getting off topic!  I was at a grocery store and wanted something different.  My friend was vegetarian so I was looking out for his best interest in ideas and knew the kinda flavors he liked. I wanted a sandwich so I got bagels (don't remember what kind), then I grabbed some avocados (first time ever making anything with avocados), I noticed eggplant dip and decided to grab that as well, Smoked salmon (for the meat lovers in the group), feta, and as far as I remember that was it.  I went right home and got to work all excited about this new experiment!  I skinned the smoked salmon and cut it into slices, mashed the avocado and added eggplant dip just till it wasn't to runny.  Some pepper to the sauce added a nice touch. So far so good.  I smeared the sauce I just made on the top, salmon on bottom, and feta in the middle.... I couldn't believe it actually turned out!  Everyone enjoyed it.  The fact that my scents took over my senses and I was able to blend these flavors that I had no idea were so amazing together was astonishing to me.

 That was the first time I really realized I knew I had a way of thinking out of the box and really making something unique delicious, and healthy.  Healthy eating doesn't have to be boring!  And for those like my self that are looking at taking a second look at how I live my life, and what i put in my body, and how I want my body to look, it is nice to be able to have something other then the norm.  When you look at recipes, especially my own.  They aren't to be read like an essay that you have to remember for school.  Take my advice and grow on them!  Add something new, something YOU might think you'd like in the dish.  If it doesn't fully work, maybe there is something I added that you have to take out.  Experiment and really go with the flow of how you like to cook, and ideas that come into YOUR head.

Your Kitchen Scents was based on just that.  letting you open up your mind and use your own judgement and ideas to add to what I've giving you.  And any recipe for that matter.  I never look at a recipe and follow it precisely.  I may add more or less of something.  I may take the fact that pineapple, and ham go good together, and come up with something completely different.  Knowing what goes with each other, and what taste go together really can help someone get out of there box and really try something that they haven't really tried before.  It's why I love Thai and Caribbean dishes so much.  I don't add much to any recipes of either here cause I'm so open and usually end up blending cultural dishes together that it's not really either of them by the time I'm done!  But maybe I will start to add some of my really eccentric ideas here.  You can give me a bare kitchen and I'll make something out of it!