“The Chef”
Hi! My name is Jenny, and welcome to “The Spicy Simmer”. I love to cook, and have loved to cook since I was young. I confess that I’m what you’d call a semi-picky eater, whereas my husband will eat just about anything. I make it my weekly goal to find a new recipe or two that includes foods that we will both enjoy.
While I am by no means a gourmet chef, I consider myself to be well-versed in the kitchen, thanks in part to my own personal trial-and-error. I don’t ever aspire to be gourmet quality, but through my adventures in the kitchen, I’d like to keep developing my skills as well as my palate.
“The Blog”
This blog was created for me to share recipes that I’ve tried, that my husband Mike & I have enjoyed. The recipes that I share with you come from a variety of different places – books, magazines, Internet, and family. I love searching for new recipes to try; it is not very often that I make the same meal twice in the same month. You may call it crazy, but I call it variety.
Many of the recipes that I post here are adapted using ingredients I have on hand and/or are available at our local grocery stores. We live in northern Michigan, less than an hour south of the Mackinac Bridge, and a few of the ingredients listed in recipes I’d like to try are just not available here – and if they are, they can get quite expensive. We’re also trying to watch our waistlines and health, so some adaptations are made in order to try and be a tad healthier.
“Outside of the Kitchen”
My husband and I live, work and play in northern Michigan. I am a secondary level music teacher, and my husband is a metallurgical engineer. We live with our two cats, Hilo & Bandit, who love to try and sample what we’re eating each night. When our schedules permit, Mike & I love to cook meals together. We’ve been married for four years, and have found it a great way to catch up with each other when it’s been a busy day/week. We also are avid home brewers (a section to come in the future months).
The Spicy Simmer 
I do not think you are “crazy” to not cook the same meal more than twice in a month! The only times I do is either if I really loved it so much I simply MUST make something two or three times, or if I feel very tired.
I also like that you cook with what you have on hand, that is what real cooking is about! 😀
Thanks! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one out there that has the same philosophy as I do. Thanks for reading!!