Welcome to my blog!

My husband, Tom, is kind of obsessed with food and cooking. He reads books and magazines about food, is online for hours reading blogs and websites devoted to food, watches tv shows about food, and has recently taken a few cooking classes. He talks about food, thinks about food, and even wakes up in the middle of the night after dreaming of food. The dude likes food.

I like food, too (who doesn't?), but it doesn't control my life like it does Tom's. We plan our weekends around his 'food projects.' If I want to use the oven to bake cookies, I have to clear it with him to make sure he's not planning to smoke meat that day. After I've made the cookies, I just eat them and enjoy them. That is not the case with Tom, who tends to discuss (obsess over?) a meal for hours- sometimes days- after it's been eaten.

Tom's interest in cooking started when he realized it was just as easy (and tastier) to make his own food instead of making something frozen or out of a box. Why use a pancake mix when you've already got flour, salt and baking powder in the cupboard?

We live in New York City, which has some of the greatest restaurants in the world, a perk we try to take advantage of. Eating some of the most amazing food on the planet at these restaurants has also inspired him.

This interest in cooking, and Tom's skills, have blossomed over the years. He started out simple, making dishes like roasted chicken with pan sauce, but lately he's been getting into making 'fancier' stuff like terrines, sausages, duck confits, and even rendering fat to make lard. I've had all sorts of gross things in my refrigerator- jars of animal intestines (for sausage casings- they are still in there), pig hearts, chicken feet, pork cheeks, lamb necks, and a hunk of pig skin with hair and the USDA stamp right there in your face.

Everytime he orders meat from our CSA vendor I worry what we'll end up getting. A whole bone-in ham to put in our already stuffed freezer? A cow heart? More chicken feet? They're all coming soon.


As gross as some of the stuff he makes sounds, it usually tastes pretty good. I've never been an adventurous eater- my favorite meal for years has been chicken patties and rice (it's still in the Top 5), and I'm quite picky. 2 years ago, I probably disliked more foods than I liked. But through Tom, I've come around to enjoy more things than I ever thought I would (alcoholic drinks also help).

I've come to realize that foods like seafood, 'dark meat', and mushrooms aren't so bad (although I will never get over my aversion to tomatoes or cilantro). When we go out to eat, my eyes don't automatically go to 'safe' things like chicken or pasta. I'm more likely to get duck or scallops, which were once out of my comfort zone.

Whether at home or in a restaurant, I appreciate all the work and skill used to create a dish. I'm also more appreciative and aware of the food I eat, more mindful of the environment and the animals I'm eating, and my own health. Eating processed food or fast food is not something we do anymore. I guess you could say that Tom's obsession with food has not only opened my mouth to new foods, it's also opened my eyes.

I never really had an interest in doing a blog, but recently I decided it would be fun to share all the food Tom ends up making (and how crazy he makes me in the process). So here we are.

As for the name of the blog- What Tom Cooks on His Day Off- that was inspired by a quote from Michael Voltaggio on the show, Top Chef, when he dissed Kevin's 'simple' food by saying "I cook the food Kevin cooks on my day off." When Tom looks at a menu of a 'hip' Brooklyn restuarant that makes simple dishes, his favorite thing to say is "they make the food I make on my day off," so its become a running joke between me and Tom.

So, welcome to my blog, and to the food that Tom cooks on his day off. I hope you find it interesting, and maybe even inspiring.

-Gretchen