I started this cookbook as a personal project, but it soon became much more to me. It started out as jotting down notes and getting recipes that worked. My goals were fairly simple; get a set of recipes that were authentic, tasted great, and could be consistently done. As a parent and 'home' cook, I needed recipes that my family enjoyed to eat and were simple enough to cook in a small kitchen and although many of the recipes stemmed from my culinary training, cooking in restaurants, and my own catering/personal chef business, my goal was still to have easy and uncomplicated recipes that anyone at home could easily replicate and enjoy. I found that home cooks waste a lot of time and money on expensive ingredients and complicated recipes that are difficult to replicate at home. First I defined `my` style of cooking. It is rooted deep in the Cajun Bayou Country of Louisiana, and as a cooking style I have tried to strongly reflect two principles. "K. I. S. S." -- Keep it simple stupid. and Use good ingredients and just don't screw them up. With that in mind, each recipe is a personal reflection of me, my skills, and the heart/love I put into preparing that food. The result is a cookbook that is not only my family and friend's favorite recipes, but are also the recipes that you will want to refer back to when you simply want to put some great food on the table. Here's to eating good food and spending time with family and friends. Have fun cooking and enjoy!