"You could make that at home."

My father's infamous saying is "you could make that at home." I can't really remember when it started, but every time we go out to eat (which is alot) he says it at least once. Like when you sit down at your table and start looking at the menu and everyone is talking about what they might order, thats usually when he slides it in. Or when your eating and you comment on how good it tastes, he'll say it. It's kind of become a family joke, and recently I have caught myself saying it too. I think subconsciously those words have been sinking into my brain for the last 20 years and its one of the reasons I started cooking and now love to cook.

I definitely have my father to thank for my discerning palate. My mother, while I love her to death, has very strange tastes. She is a "vegetarian." I use quotations because unlike most vegetarians she occasionally eats hot dogs and orders bacon on a grilled cheese. Her diet consists mostly of unsweetened tea and little debbie snacks. My dad has always encouraged me to try new foods and experiment in the kitchen.

So anyway.. thats where the name of my blog came from. One of the reasons I chose that for the name is that I now live in a really small town with none of my favorite restaurants. To eat at chain restaurants we'd have to drive an hour and a half to Tulsa. So, I now have to attempt to recreate my favorites at home. In the future I will be posting about copy-cat recipes that I have tried and will comment on how close they taste to the original. So stay tuned!!

Some of my favorite places to eat at when I'm home include Carrabba's, Moe's, California Dreaming, Red Bowl Asian Bistro, and Outback to name just a few. My favorites in State College were Herwig's(Austrian/German food to die for!), Chipotle, Champ's, the Rathskeller, and The Tavern. In the comments let me know where you love to eat!