This coming March, I will have been at home for three years. What a blast it is! Time is flying and I am now feeling the need to do something that is all my own. I have decided this it will be: sueBthefoodie.com. I am a true believer in finding your passions and doing what makes you happy. For everyone, it is something different. Passion is personal. Food and talking: two things I absolutely love to do.
For me, gathering our family around the table and relishing conversations that ensue is a passion. When you share a meal with someone, you really get to know them. Food not only feeds the body; it can nourish a soul. At home and on vacation, I’m always trying new recipes and testing them out on our adventurous boys.
At times I enjoy great success, at others epic failure. Ask any of our men about the “Red Velvet Birthday Cake Debaucle” (made with Beet Puree) or the infamous “Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Mix-up” (flour grabbed instead of much-needed sugar). However, trying new things together always seems to lead to great conversation and sometimes makes for some really good laughs.
“Ketchup-on-the-side”, is always available in my kitchen. Good food doesn’t need to be fancy, besides I have a ketchup lover in our crew. In our kitchen, I also have the keeper box. A special wooden box containing our family’s recipes that have qualified for the “keeper status”. Tried and true, our cherished favorites. The box is not hidden or secret, but there for anyone to try. Even my husband, an enjoyer of good food, a loyal taster, but not a cook (yet!), has ventured in there to pull out his favorites to try.
Family frequently calls to get an old family recipe. You see, I’ve become our food historian, writing down & “keeping” the recipes we’ve been making for years. One of my favorite things to do is deliver a taste to a neighbor, friend, or family member and get their reaction. What a sense of accomplishment I feel when someone calls me out of the blue to ask for a recipe! Or while in the middle of attempting a recipe for the first time, a neighbor rings me with a question or informs me of their success with something they’ve found on my site. Voila, another lover of food is born. And another person you can start talking to food about. Presto, yet another friend is made.
I am not sure what form this blog will take. Maybe it will be a food blog. More likely a running tale of “My Life with Boys”. Perhaps it will be combination of both. I know that my husband hopes it will be a place where the “secret ingredients” of his all time favorite foods are highlighted in red. My hope is it will start lots of conversations, around lots of dinner tables and get lots of families, friends and neighbors connecting!
Building authentic community, one recipe at time, is the gist. I would love to be like Gusteau in a favorite movie of mine, “Ratatouille”, convincing one Remy at a time that, “anyone can cook”. However, my goal is to show how much fun it can be gathering your family around a table for a meal to enjoy the gift that is presence. So here it goes…
sueBthefoodie 
Can’t wait to start filling my keeper box– keepers only this time! I’m excited to see you get this started!
Sue, I thought you were my secret foodie but I do realize that it ended when you and the MR. bought that little blue house. Until then we (your dad and I) were the taste testers and inhalers of all your new food ideas. I love hitting your refrigerator for all your wonderful left overs and now I know there’ll be even more as you cook to keep your blog interesting and clamoring for more. What a great way to fulfull your talents of motherhood, cooking and of course writing. We all come to you when we need an editor.
Glad you figured out the blogging. Will be anxiously awaiting new posts.
Luv ur MOM
Sue, i wish you success with this new venture! Enjoy and good luck!
This is wonderful. How exciting to go from thinking about writing a blog, to actually doing it. Congratulations!
I can’t wait to see what’s next!!!
Can’t wait for your posts! Always looking for new ideas in the kitchen.
Chicken Marsala recipe please :). Love you Sue! Great idea
You know it will be on here, of course!
You ROCK! I don’t know if everyone can cook, but I know I love to eat what you cook!! Good luck Sue B! Lori
Way to go Sue…everyone will enjoy this site. You are the best! Love AJ
Yummo! Keep it up!!!
This is so cool. I really enjoyed exploring your blog.
So cool to connect. Thank you so much for taking the time to explore my blog. It is a work in progress. Thank you for the kind compliment and your patience when navigating around. I work on it when I have time ; ). Always lots of things happening in the little blue house. I love the choas. It teaches me how creative I can be when I set my mind on it ; )
I can’t wait to see if you venture in to vegan territory! This is such a great blog…you are very talented & a wonderful writer Sue!!!
Already have some vegan recipes on the burners. Some of my favorite foods are Vegetarian Indian cuisine. As a matter of fact, a close friend, who is strict vegetarian, suggested that I post my 3 bean, 3 bell pepper Chili. Also, want to make potatoe and pea Samosa’s. A friend just bought me a lovely Mango Chutney. She is also a vegetarian. Thank you for checking me out Sarah. Can’t wait to cook something up just for you! Can’t wait to meet Yoshi. She is a doll!
Looking forward to reading your blog. You write with compassion and passion. The best combination of all! Now I know where to go when I need to find a “keeper”.
So happy that you checked out my site. Its means alot that you left a comment for me. Thank you for your kind words! It is a passion of mine. So happy I am getting a chance to do it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my little stories. I am so happy after I complete a new story. It is so fun when you get to follow your dreams. I also wanted to thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I do appreciate it so much. PS. Check out the story Beginnings. It is not a recipe. It was my first post after establishing my blog. Maybe you already read it because you knew about the Keeper. thanks for stopping by my site!
Hi Sue
I am glad I came to Your site, I love everything I have read, You are such a writer,You have already made Your beginning, Thank God for your creative and food ideas I love to eat as
I told You I love pork chops Have to have them once a week.
thanks for sharing Your joy Geri
Geri,
So glad our paths crossed again. You put me at ease. Whenever I get my half-cut sweet tea at McDonalds I will think of you and smile and think “Geri likes sweet tea with extra ice”. You are a Blessing to me.
-suebthefoodie
Awesome awesome blog! I may even be inspired to try beets! I’ve nominated you for this award – http://cavedownunder.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/wooo-i-got-an-award/
WOW. Thank you Kimberly. That means a lot coming from a fellow blogger! Keep on blogging :).
Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I have also enjoyed browsing the blog and reading some of your narrations. They are very thoughtful and interesting too. Wish you a happy blogging and a wonderful week!
So nice to find your like and comment waiting for me today. -Cheers
Ratatouille is my husband’s favourite movie too. 😊 He also loves cooking and convinced me that I can cook too. 😊 Love your blog, both writing and the photos are excellent!
So nice to find your comment on my blog today. Thank you for your likes and leaving a note for me to enjoy. I love Ratatouille. I look forward to visiting your blog.
-Cheers
Sue – ran into you at Menard’s in Naperville in the garden center May 8th! We talked forever and discovered we are kindred spirits — Love your blog — Rock on in the kitchen and the garden!! Sandy Wegmann sandyncorgi@yahoo.com
You were a hoot! Enjoyed sharing stories, gardens and recipes with you. Will do and you too. If you are on FB you can find me there. I post more frequently would love exchanging tips there! Link is on bottom of my page. Posting quick salad dressing today. You inspired me with all that backyard garden talk–cheers sueBthefoodie