Each month, we get to know another Canadian food blogger and post our interview with them here.  This month, we feature Toronto based, Sandra Kidd,of Toronto Bites.

foodiemom-torontobites.blogspot.com.

1.       When did you start blogging about food?

I started blogging about food back in September of last year.  One day I was looking in my pantry and freezer and realized that I had so much "stuff" that I barely had any idea what I had on hand anymore, so I took a self-pledge to not buy anything except milk, fruit, vegetables and cheese for 30 days in an effort to reduce the amount of food in my freezer and pantry.  My friend Shelly suggested that I to start a blog to share ideas, recipes and pictures - so I did!  Turned out that a lot of my friends were in the same situation as me or were always looking for new ideas and enjoyed my writing (surprisingly!) which I shared with them mostly via Facebook. 

When the 30 days was over I realized that I had re-ignited a passion for cooking and creativity in the kitchen that I had lost to years of quick dinners on the run as we headed out the door to swimming or the tutor or whatever.  I had started to enjoy cooking again and enjoy thinking about food and experimenting again.  And I had found a new hobby and creative outlet – blogging.

2.       Why do you blog about food?

Cooking has become my love and my hobby again. Sometimes it is my place of peace, sanctuary and stress relief.  There is no defined theme to my blog “Toronto Bites” except that it is one woman’s story of living and eating in Toronto – and that is exactly what it is.  Sometimes I share recipes I have developed or adapted, sometimes I share my personal culinary journey as I learn new things myself – I am currently working my way through the 5 French mother sauces for some strange reason.  My goal is always to share and inspire, never to instruct, and sometimes to even make you laugh just a little.

3.       If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I am thinking beer – as Homer Simpson says – it is the source and solution to all life’s problems!  It has a decent amount of calories to keep me alive, is fat-free (wink), is a source of some B vitamins, and when it eventually kills me, I’ll be too toasted to care! 

Seriously though, I’d probably say asparagus.  I can eat unending quantities of it, I can make it in many different ways – steamed, roasted, in soups - and it is full of wonderful nutritional properties.  And it makes your pee smell funny and that entertains my 10 year old to no end.

4.      What’s the best cooking tip you can give our readers to help them cook at home more often?

Start small and keep it simple.   There are so many free resources, websites, and how-to videos out there, that there is no reason you can’t learn to cook.  Don’t be afraid to experiment - learn to make chicken 2 or 3 different ways, then move on to beef, then fish or vegetables and just keep expanding your list.  Who cares if you mess up!  It is just food – try again. 

And learn to use your slowcooker!  There is a time and place for complicated and ornate dishes but rush hour on a Tuesday night on the way to hockey is not one of them.