why tuesdayz

when i started cooking in 2010, i was eighteen months out from college graduation and starving for new hobbies that felt right. after being an athlete and a student for the majority of my life, i was on the hunt for some new things i enjoyed to fill my after work hours. the details of my weekly schedule escape me now, but the only night i had available was tuesday. after making the choice that i was going to start cooking all new dishes once a week, tuesday became the natural choice.

almost every tuesday for the next five years, i cooked all new dishes. and we are not just talking one new dish a week. a full meal of dishes i had never made before was served up for my roommates, guys i dated, family, friends and coworkers.

in the beginning, it was a complete exploration. i scoured the internet for the highest rated recipes each week for dishes i had heard of but never made before. i made things i had never even eaten before. i spent hours and hours of my life searching the aisles of grocery stores and produce markets for things i had heard of but never seen before. i did a lot of googling in the aisles of whole foods.

over time, i stopped looking up videos of how to know you safely cooked your chicken and i started creating my own recipes. once i learned from all the great food network chef’s what works, what doesn’t, and WHY i was really able to start creating my own food.

early on, i felt the urge to write about my food journey. i had no idea where it would lead me, but something about holding myself accountable each week by writing about it felt natural. cooking took a grip of me right away and i wanted others to see that if i could cook, anyone could cook. and so newfoodtuesdayz was born.