Hello and welcome.

My name is Sara Hyde and I love food. I love eating and I love cooking it. My first experience cooking for someone else came when I was quite young; maybe 4 or 5. Both my parents were sick and I managed to open up a can of soup, pour it into a bowl and microwave it and bring it to them. It was a little strong (I didn't add any water) but they were grateful anyway. I was also the kid who, when I saw someone fall and skin their knee, would run home and grab some cookies. Someone else can take care of the band aid, I bring the real medicine.

I started into the real world of cooking when my mom told me that if I didn't like what was for dinner I would have to cook something for myself. She made the family a meal and I could eat it or provide for myself. It worked out well for me. See, I was picky. Very picky. At our favorite local restaurant (Chang's, a Mongolian Grill out in Hillsboro, OR) I would get noodles and pineapple with some soy sauce. That was it. I didn't like mushrooms, tomatoes, fish, most meats, most veggies. I did like pasta, fruit, and cheese. So, needless to say, most of what Mom made just didn't appeal. So I learned to cook for myself. Luckily, as I have grown up, my tastes have broadened. Now my dislikes pretty much have shrunk to fish and spicy foods.

Growing up in a suburb of Portland, Oregon was a major part of this. There are so many amazing restaurants  and food carts in the city. I loved trying cuisine from all over the world without ever really having to leave home.

While I enjoy baking, my real passion is cooking. I rarely follow a recipe any more. They are really more of guidelines. I love finding three or four recipes and combing them while changing a few ingredients here or there to customize it to what I really like. I love watching the Food Network and TV cooking competitions. They give me ideas. The other place I get ideas from is restaurants. As a poor college grad student on a budget I just can't afford to eat out as often as I would like. So, when I find something I absolutely love, I have to learn how to make it at home.

This leads me to the purpose of this Blog. I will share my opinions of restaurants and the dishes I eat there as well as share my own recipes on how I have imitated my favorite dished. I may even share a few of my favorite recipes from home as well. I hope this helps someone out there find a new favorite or encourages them to try one of my favorite restaurants.

Feel free to message me with suggestions of dishes to try or places to visit. Just remember, I'm on a budget. I'm mainly based out of Provo, Utah where I go to school but I make it to the Tri-Cities in Washington and Portland, Oregon. There may be a few posts here and there about the Kalispell, Montana area as well.