My Kitchen Playlist

In my opinion, cooking is one of the most fun things you can do in your home. It completely beats vacuuming, painting the walls, mowing the lawn, etc. It's meant to be FUN -- and, other than fun, it's also extremely rewarding. You get to share your treats with everyone and keep their bellies full.

If you have started to find cooking to be a drag, try playing some of your favorite good-mood tunes while you cut veggies, clean chicken, mix up your marinades, and plate your meal.

My top-ten favorite songs to play while I'm in the kitchen are:

1. Everything is Sound - Jason Mraz, Love is a Four Letter Word
2. King of Anything - Sara Bareilles, Kaleidoscope Heart
3. Bullet Proof - La Roux, La Roux
4. Fans - Kings of Leon, Because of the Times
5. Part of Me - Katy Perry, Teenage Dream
6. Crazy Beautiful Life - Ke$ha, Cannibal
7. Perfectly Lonely - John Mayer, Battle Studies
8. Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye, Making Mirrors
9. Sharp Knife - Third Eye Blind, Ursa Major
10. Everybody Loves Me - OneRepublic, Waking Up

Honorable Mentions:

1. So What - P!nk, Funhouse
2. Strip Me - Natasha Bedingfield, Morning Glory Soundtrack
3. Cooler Than Me - Mike Posner, 31 Minutes to Take Off
4. Harder to Breathe - Maroon 5, Songs About Jane
5. Hair - Lady Gaga, Born This Way

What gets you motivated in the kitchen?!

What's this about?

Welcome to my new blog, "Gas Stove Girl"! I have tried many times in the past to maintain a blog with a clear direction. Ultimately it turned into miniature rants I had about whatever was bothering me at the time. I learned that this type of online journal is not the way to get and retain followers of any kind. It also didn't provide me an opportunity to share experiences with others.

Cue "Gas Stove Girl," my amateur way of fulfilling my Food Network dreams. I love to cook! I have no formal training. More importantly, I LOVE EATING! My kitchen has one small swath of counter space, a microwave, a rice cooker, a George Foreman grill, and of course a GAS STOVE!

I have fun in the kitchen remaking family recipes, from my family and my boyfriend's. I pretend I am a pro and try my hand at some Food Network staples. I have a number of cookbooks I like to peruse. Some things work out well and some things go very wrong. These are my stories, my food experiences, my restaurant critiques, and my amateur cook tips.

Please check back every week for updates, reviews, recipes, and tips! I want you to start having as much fun in the kitchen and during meals as I have -- even if you aren't a five star chef.

Food is our common ground, a universal experience. - James Beard