About this site

My name is Keith Calligan. I work in IT by trade but have always loved eating and preparing food. This website will be the place where I take notes and also share the perfected recipes with others. By perfected, I mean these are recipes that I am completely happy with based on my own personal tastes and from friends/family. I am always open to experimentation as well.

There are a few reasons I decided to start this. For one, my background and profession is IT (Information Technology). My processes and thinking are very methodical and tend to be very precise and exact. I bring this thinking into describing the cooking techniques and recipes that will be demonstrated. By having more detailed step-by-step instructions, I think everyone can get similar results and even I can review these notes to reproduce a recipe the same way each time it is prepared.

Some parts of my blog may just be random notes that I have taken. In this sense, I may try a similar recipe multiples times to get a desired result. Each time I make the recipe, I will note the exact steps and techniques. I may mention what went well and also anything that I feel could by improved upon. These notes will be helpful each time a recipe is made. I also hope that these notes can be understood by anyone else who reads them. The errors I make or the successes I have made will be in these notes. The progression that is made each time I try the recipe will show any mistakes I have made (to help the reader avoid those mistakes) and to also help the reader benefit from the success of the recipe. Once a recipe has been perfected (as close as possible), I will post the final recipe including the techniques that I followed to perfect the recipe.

I have some great experiences to share as of late. Within the last six months (or so), I have started taking cooking courses. The first one is the Professional Cooking Course from Rouxbe. This is an online cooking class and I highly recommend it. They start at the basics and detail things in ways that I feel anyone can understand. They don’t simply provide the recipe. Rouxbe teaches the techniques that make me feel successful.

After my Rouxbe class is finished, I have signed up for a Master BBQ certification class. I have always enjoyed grilling and BBQ (smoking). I am in the process of following a bunch of guidance from many professionals in the field. I purchased a lot of books and am in the process of analyzing/comparing different techniques from all of these individuals. In the future, I will share some of the notes I have taken based on this guidance and show the techniques that have worked for me.

I may eventually want to continue my cooking experience and learn a little about baking as well. Baking has always intimidated me but I feel a lot more confident based on some instructional materials I have followed. This information will eventually be shared as well.

If I get real ambitious, I will start posting Youtube videos. I’m hoping this will reinforce the ideas and techniques that will be covered. It is sometimes better to have information in a readable form as well as visual (video) to make it click.

I’ve always had an interest in food (mostly consuming it). There are certain recipes and techniques that I’ve picked up on my own. These are recipes I made before I started before taking cooking classes. I feel fairly confident in these recipes and have received positive feedback from friends and family when I make these recipes. These recipes will eventually be shared as well.

There is something to be said about having and making a home-cooked meal. By having a home-made meal, you will know the ingredients that go into it. It is often much better tasting than pre-packaged/processed food and also healthier. It is also a money-saver if you compare home-cooking to eating restaurant-made meals. Lastly, it can be rewarding to enjoy a meal you’ve made yourself.