My Culinary Secret Weapon

And now for something completely different.  I like to cook almost as much as I like to eat.  However, I am not much for following cook books.  I prefer to raid the pantry, make a mess, and give it a go sans recipe.  More often than not, it works.  My wife and I are usually pleasantly surprised, but also disappointed, because I usually cannot reproduce my accidental success.

One of the things I have learned from my chaotic culinary creations is the ability to mix and match flavors.  I have a better understanding of what goes well together as well as a gift to know what flavor is missing from a dish after a taste.  More often than not, proper seasoning is enough to bring out the best in the most bland of bites .  However, for the especially flat flavors (I promise, I will not try to cram any more alliteration into this post), I have a secret weapon.  Vinegar.  It comes in many colors, flavors and sizes, but generally speaking, the acidic punch of vinegar will brighten the flavor and bring the dish to a  whole new level.