I am Geri
The home cook, baker, photographer, and “smart” mouth that authors Come to My Table.
I love cooking, baking, and feeding people. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I knew cooking and baking were my favorite things to do. However, I do know it occurred somewhere during the time that I was in the Navy, growing increasingly tired of eating chow hall food and buying quick & ready meals to microwave. I didn’t know how to cook much other than basic home-style Mexican food and I wanted to experience other cuisines. So, I went out and purchased my very first cookbook. I was hooked. I tried many recipes and to be honest, some were embarrassingly horrible. I had to learn a new language, I was already bi-lingual with English and Spanish, but this cooking language, well, it was pretty foreign to me. It used words like poach, render, scald, julienne, temper, etc. These are not just words, these are words that require action. Many of my first dishes went right into the trash can! Once in a blue moon though, I created something that just knocked my socks off, so I kept trying. Eventually, my cooking and baking improved and so did my cookbook collection. Now I am happy to say that the cards have turned. Once in a blue moon, a dud still appears. It’s a humbling experience that reminds me that I have not mastered everything in the kitchen quite yet. LOL. I have a tremendous love for cookbooks. My cookbook collection is down to about 300 books after donating 200 of them to friends and Goodwill.
When I think of all the life that has happened around my table, I am deeply honored and humbled.
People from all walks of life have been to my table.
Every emotion under the sky has been felt here.
Hearts have been broken because of the loss of a loved one.
Silence due to loss of words to describe emotion has been experienced.
Comfort has been given when anger has filled every fiber in our body.
Laughter, until we cried, has been heard.
The joy that knows no measure has been known here.
Food of every ethnicity and flavor has been enjoyed.
A Drink to quench every thirst has been created.
The most important use of my table has been to make and strengthen the friendships and love that surround me.
I have been ultimately blessed with a life that has been filled with wonderful family, friends, and just enough of everything to get me through each day. I was born and raised in New Mexico as a first child, followed by 4 brothers and 1 sister. We were fortunate enough to have an Auntie (Nana) that lived with us and took care of us while my parents worked. My goodness, that woman could cook. She made the best pancakes ever. We did not have much in the form of material things or money. We struggled much of the time. But I can honestly say that what we did have was more important than any amount of money could ever be. We had a love that would get us through any situation that rose up to bless us or challenge us. We learned that we had to work hard to meet our goals and that life was a roller coaster ride with ups and downs that made life worth living. My parents did the very best they could with what life offered them. They strived to give us the best they could. In the process of growing up and becoming our own person, we created memories that would be remembered and cherished for a lifetime. My family, (husband, son, parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews) and ‘framily’* (besties, sisters, brothers daughters, and sons from other mothers) are the most precious and treasured gifts that have enabled me to live a blessed life. Without them, my life would be in shambles.
Fast forward to the present time and you will find me living in Niceville, FL just minutes away from the picture perfect, beautiful sugar sand beaches.
I experience life with my husband of 24 years, my 17 year old son, (which happen to be the best taste testers and dishwashers a girl could ever hope for) and a beautiful princess cat named Chloe. I have countless friends that are willing to come over and sample a new dish at the spur of a moment and a great number of friends that are more than willing to take the “rejects’ that don’t qualify for the photo ops. I look around me and I know that God has given me the amazing gift of “living the dream”.
I invite you to
Come to my table, sit a while.
Let’s eat, drink, and have a great chat.
*Friends that are Family