Hello, welcome to m+i kitchen and cocktails.

Everyone needs a hobby. Mine is recipes. Not creating recipes (definitely not), or even cooking from them, really, though I get to that part eventually. Rather, I collect recipes. Curate them. Gather them around me like a magpie. Hoard, if you will. The number of recipes and cookbooks I have collected far exceeds the number of dishes I've actually cooked. I'll get to that part eventually, I swear.

The cookbooks are a real problem, actually. their number is limited only by shelf space and my own sense of shame. Have some self-control, woman. The individual recipes--torn from magazines, printed from the internet, copied from recipe books of friends and family--are gathered into an ever-growing number of carefully organized binders.

And occasionally, yes, I try out the recipes. Which is what I'll be doing here--sharing with y'all our favorite cookbooks, recipes, and kitchen adventures. We'll focus on two types of recipes: ones that are satisfying, reliable, and easy enough to make on a weekday and also ones for a special occasion, more elaborate but worth it. I may never manage to actually make every recipe I've socked away or completely work through all of my ever-growing number of cookbooks, but here's to trying.

So that's the "i" part (me, Ingrid) and the "kitchen" part. "m" is Matt, my husband, whose creativity far exceeds my own, and who will be bringing to you the cocktails, which are his own creation--original yet practical, with a point of avoiding rare liquors and one-use ingredients. He is also my partner in the kitchen and an excellent cook himself. While my culinary interests are broad, hodge-podge, gathered like seashells, Matt's are pointed and aimed towards perfection. In addition to crafting original cocktail recipes, he's also mastered homemade pizza (thanks to Pizza Camp by Joe Beddia, one of our favorite cookbooks) and is now moving on to Tartine Bread.

Welcome to our kitchen, fam. Hope y'all enjoy.