Welcome to my food blog.  I’m Nikki G. and I have been an enthusiastic home cook for as long as I can remember. Like many of you, I have a lot of favorite childhood memories centered around the kitchen.  I was an Army Brat growing up so moving and experiencing new places was a way of life.  My food background is heavily influenced by my grandma who was raised on a  Pennsylvania dairy farm and by my Oma  and Opa who immigrated along with my Dad and uncle from Munich, Germany to Colorado in the 50s.  I was also fortunate to live in Texas from middle school through college.  As a result, I have an unabashed love of Tex Mex and barbeque. Now I reside on the Alabama Gulf Coast,  home to delicious seafood, southern home cooking and gallons of gumbo.

You may be wondering why I named my blog Authentically Nikki.  I spent quite awhile tossing around names with various food related words.  I kept coming back to this name because I make no claims to anything being authentic.  My version of chicken and sausage gumbo is delicious, but it may not be the way you remember your grandma making it.  I also adapt most every recipe to suit me and the people I’m feeding.   As a result most things I cook have my stamp on it which makes the recipes authentically mine.

I have many family favorite recipes that I would like to share with you.  I would also like for you to come along with me on my journey of trying new recipes and rediscovering old favorites  from my cookbook collection.  Over the years I have amassed somewhere north of 250 cookbooks.  Much to my husband’s chagrin, I still can’t resist adding a few more every now and then.  When I cook I do try to make healthy substitutions where I can,  but I’m not obsessive about it.  Sometimes you just have to use butter!  I will also use the occasional convenience item such as cream of mushroom soup.  I do consider myself a fairly adventurous eater, but like all people I have a few food aversions.  I’m sorry, but goat cheese will forever taste like dirty gym socks.  You, of course, may love it.  Isn’t that what makes cooking so much fun, being able to work around and with food preferences.

When I am not in the kitchen I enjoy a few other activities. I love reading, counted cross-stitch and vacuuming (Ha Ha Ha).  I also like to watch movies, science documentaries, college football and I am also a baseball junkie.  Really, it’s all my Dad’s fault,  he took me to see Reggie Jackson at Yankee Stadium in the late 70s and I haven’t been the same since.  My husband and I enjoy road trips and we are doing our best to see as many of the national parks/monuments/battlefields/seashores, etc.  as we can.  Being out in nature (during the daytime since we all know tents don’t come with air conditioning and nice bathrooms) is a good way to restore your soul.  It also allows me to dabble in my other favorite hobby of photography.