Welcome to my column on cooking. I'm delighted to have this opportunity to write about food, since cooking is a favorite pastime of mine. I'm not a professional chef and I don't write cookbooks. But my passion for fine food makes every meal a new adventure, and I look forward to being your tour guide.

I was a small child when I started cooking, begging my mother to help in the kitchen. I was so young that I really don't remember the first recipe I made. Over the years I have learned a lot. I experiment with a variety of foods, recipes and techniques, and have discovered that there are endless ways to approach cooking. My own outlook has evolved from those experiences and my philosophy of cooking is a straightforward one. Although complex and challenging recipes are fun to prepare, our day-to-day cooking can be less complicated. I have three basic cooking rules: simplicity, elegance, and accessible ingredients.

Simplicity. As we hurry through our hectic day, the last thing we need to worry about is how complicated our meal preparation will be. There is no reason delicious foods need to have complex preparation. Easy-to-follow instructions help make the meal more enjoyable for the cook, too.

Elegance. A simple meal can easily give the impression of much more elaborate preparation. Uncomplicated steps, fresh ingredients and an attractive look to the food can give the impression your work required much more effort. An elegant look to your dish will increases the enjoyment when eaten.

Accessible Ingredients. The most important aspect of a great recipe is accessibility of the ingredients. This can mean the item is standard stock in your pantry, or it is easy to purchase at the local grocery store. There's no sense trying to create a dessert that calls for fresh mandarin orange segments, when we can't easily locate mandarin oranges in our area. Focus on accessibility and you won't be frustrated when preparing a new dish.

Following these three guidelines, I will try to give you an interesting variety of recipes to try. Some will be quick, some complicated, and a few a bit more exotic. I hope that you will tell me which recipes you love, and dislike. I'm also eager to hear about your favorite recipes or food topics.

To get us started on this culinary journey, here is a savory variation on a robust, cold-weather casserole. Moussaka (pronounced moos-ah-kah), is a meat and eggplant dish found in many Middle Eastern countries. This recipe substitutes green beans and low-fat ground beef for the traditional meat and vegetable.

GREEN BEAN MOUSSAKA

1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon flour
8 ounces tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
16 ounce can green beans
2 slightly beaten eggs
12 ounces creamed cottage cheese
1 tablespoon chives
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons sliced olives