Kristin's Better Than You Can Imagine Chili

About me

I live in DC and work in evaluation for a consulting firm, but on the weekends one of my favorite things to do is cook. I'm originally from San Diego, but moved to DC about 4 years ago to pursue a career in international development. I love my life here; I have fantastic friends, a job that I'm passionate about, and I'm able to get out and enjoy myself whenever I want! I love to travel, read, go to cultural events around the city, go out dancing with friends, have coffee or dinner with friends, and of course cook for friends and house-mates.

About my cooking

I really didn't begin to get into cooking until I lived in Santa Barbara with a chef. I think that she really introduced me to creative thinking about food and the importance of quality ingredients. It was easy to find those ingredients at the local farmers markets, so I was really able to expand my knowledge. Once I moved to DC, I started using cooking as a way to relax on the weekends after a stressful week at work. Plus, I found that cooking a big meal on a Sunday was a good and relatively inexpensive way to feed myself throughout the week, when I didn't have time to cook at night. I've begun experimenting with creating my own recipes now for soups mostly, and have expanded my ability to cook some fairly difficult foods. I'm definitely interested in continuing to grow as a cook, but don't envision myself going to culinary school to become a professional cook.

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