Hello food world!

Welcome to Kitchen Diplomacy! Sadly, this is just a test post, but I promise wonderful, delicious pictures of my own cooking and commentary in the days to come. Pineapples are traditionally considered the appropriate produce to welcome someone, but at my genesis, I offer Artichokes! I have an arguably unnatural love for them. As evidence, I even have various artichoke styled decor in my home. Artichokes are both delicious and also emotionally nourishing to me. As a child, my dad grew artichokes in our /his garden. An artichoke plant itself a huge and impressive sight to behold, and when you are a kid, it is easily as big as you are. I also remember being thrilled when my mom and I found them in our grocery store. I loved to help trim the leaves before we steamed them for dinner. More recently, on my honeymoon, as my new husband and I drove down the California coast, I was alternately awed by the vast Pacific and the rows and rows of artichoke plants almost ready for harvest. I made it a goal on that trip to eat an artichoke at least once a day...unless other activities had us too busy, of course. So as I sit here, mind numb, from wrestling with new technology of web hosts and blog platforms...without a thing planned for dinner...I offer for your contemplation: the artichoke. Perhaps I will order a pizza with them?