Introduction: Why?

     As I hope you know this blog is for the person that grows with life.  I dedicate it to all the people in my life that have taught me how to grow in some form or another.  I started RhodaGrows about a year ago when I was getting tons of emails asking me questions about gardening and cooking.  I thought, why not help my fellow man and woman grow with the knowledge I have and what I learn everyday.
   
     It's a personal quest that I feel deeply about.  I want to help anyone that I can.  I am not a doctor or religious leader, etc... but I want to give the world what I can.  This is a blog about me and you, in the kitchen.  I became religious about five years ago, and it was a journey I cannot explain in great detail because I don't know if anyone could understand exactly.

     My home became Kosher and I (a struggling cook), had to rethink my cooking entirely.  My life was turned upside down in my learning, not only of Kosher laws but new faith and a new home.  I started going through my recipes and throwing them all out the window.  I thought there was no way that I could cook anything I had in the past because it wouldn't be Kosher.

     I also had a very hard time with cooking and didn't feel comfortable for months in my own kitchen.  Everything was different.  There were two sets of everything, milk and meat, dishes, pots, pans, and cooking utensils.  I even had two different sinks.  It was overwhelming to me, someone that wasn't raised with Kosher cooking.

     The expense was also different.  It cost so much more to cook Kosher.  So I learned all I could.  I studied how it could cost less to keep Kosher and how I could still make good food.  I had to relearn everything from the ground up.  I was a green chef in my own kitchen which felt something like the first day of elementary school, and I wanted to cry for my mommy.

     I didn't let anything get in the way and I started cooking.  It was so hard to get back on the horse again, because not only was this a different horse but it was much bigger and liked to throw me off at every turn.  So here it is five years later and I have once again started to change my view on things.  I started writing my recipes down, because my sister in law told me so many times, I needed to write a cook book that finally I started.  It was even harder because I would have to measure out ingredients(my worse fear).

     The chance to show my new family, what I could do in the kitchen was inspiration and show them I did.  I thought of all my cooking before and I made all my recipes Kosher.  It was extremely hard and I thought I would never be able to figure out most of them.  This is an ongoing process in my life, since one of my greatest joys is cooking.

     So here it is.  My Kosher Journey and how it changed everything and inspire me to be the best person, I could be.  Please if you have any questions just ask.  If you want me to make a certain recipe, please ask.  I am not only here to share my cooking, but I am here to help you, the reader.