Traci Taylor’s Culinary Weakness

I’ve often wondered what I’d do if I didn’t work in radio. I went to college for English and History and toyed with the idea of becoming an English professor, but we see how well that worked out.

I’ve thought about going back to school for photography and I’ve dreamed of opening my own coffee shop, but one thing I wish I’d have been trained to do is cook. I'd love to open my own little Irish pub.

My love of cooking has been around since I was a kid and I’d make my baby brother the most disgusting concoctions.  Like milk, smashed crackers, mayo and olive juice blended together in a face twisting drink that he’d suck down.  That kid would eat anything. As the oldest of seven kids, and because my parent’s hands were full, I was responsible for a lot of the cooking in my house. I loved to put things together to make different dishes.  Some were amazing and others were awful.

When I moved to Lancaster, PA in 2005, I discovered farmer’s markets and local, fresh produce and my way of cooking completely changed.  I started experimenting with fresh spinach and Brussels sprouts and squashes. You name the veggie- chances are good I can whip something delicious up using it.

Cooking meat…well, that’s a different story.  If I don’t cook the meat in the crock-pot or on the grill, chances are really good it’s going to taste like something a five year old might keep in her play kitchen. Rubbery, hard and plastic.  I’ve never quite gained the meat cooking experience that is necessary to complete a cohesive meal.

And this is why I’m really looking forward to the Taste of Cooking show coming to the Osterhout Concert Theater on the Vestal Parkway October 29^th.  Find out how to join me for the fun here.