Memorial Day often signals the opening of a local pool or a day of shopping, but rarely does it bring to mind what it was intended for – a day of memory for our troops past and present. Today I spent the day with friends and the traditional cookout. We were reminded of our troops in the simple pleasure of gathering and sharing food. The freedom we had to cross state lines and visit friends, to pray over our meal, to share ideas and thoughts, where to buy our food, what kind of food we ate and so on. All those small things we take for granted, but many paid and arm and a leg and a life so that we could have those freedoms. To me spending time with friends and family is a way I exercise my freedoms. The company, the conversation and the FOOD all work together to make memories that energizes us for life (or at least for a boost in our everyday routine!)
This Memorial Day has special meaning, because I have two young friends that have or are serving in Iraq. They Facebook and try and stay connected, but it isn’t always that easy. I wish that I could send this one friend a hot juicy burger hot off the grill and tell him “Thank you. This memory is for you.”
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
The Inspired Exhaustion
I know I need inspiration or new recipes when I start jazzing up boxed meals. In the last blog I encouraged you to "put down that box of Hamburger Helper" but I have a confession to make: lately I have used the double "H" often. But to my defense I am probably the only person who adds wine to the packaged sauces and who "doctors" with spices in the meat while browning.
The reason can only be exhaustion. I have been tired and it was easy. But I started noticing a pattern in my eating habits when I do this. I start eating and don't stop. It's like my body is craving real food and I keep putting things in my mouth hoping to satisfy this need. I also start drinking more sodas and my ankle swell - too much sodium. Finally when I hobble out from bed do I realize I have done this to myself.
So what do I do to remedy the problem? COOK! Cook real foods and drink water! I started out of this funk small - a fresh salad. Then the next night, chicken and vegetable over rice. And before I know it I'm searching my freezer and trying to match this with that.
Am I still tired? Yes, but now I have a little more energy because I'm eating a little better. And I took an armload of cookbooks up to my room to read at night. I'm on the poultry chapter right now, so I guess exhaustion can inspire!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Always start with mise en place.
Mise en place pronounced "mees in plass" is a French term for "put in place" and is used in the culinary world for gathering the ingredients, utensils, pots/pans, etc. for whatever recipe or service that you are about to prepare. In other words, it means to get everything out and ready to go, BEFORE you start to cook. This always means that you have to read the recipe (or instructions on the side of the box) before you begin cooking. I guess that's what I need to do before starting this blog. My good friend George (husband of one of my very best friends) helped me get started and said that I could spend a lot of time finding the right back drop, clipart, fonts and widgets to make this thing look just right. It can also be a huge diversion from what I actually set out to do which was write about cooking. But you don't wait til all the lights are green before starting your road trip.
I think in some ways the need for me to write has always been there. The need for me to eat, I was born with, but the need for me to cook arrived when I went to college. There I lived alone in a nice little house trailer own by an elderly lady who knew Moses personally. She wasn't really that old, but to a older teen she seemed so.
I was a picky eater to some extent: green beans, corn, broccoli, asparagus and artichokes were the only things that constituted as vegetables. The latter two were always smoothered in butter. But when I was alone, the need for me to eat won out and I started cooking. I found that I was willing to try new foods if I could prepare them myself.
I lived about 30 miles from my grandmother and would visit her every weekend. She was a great cook and loved having someone to cook for and with. We started eating Chinese food together and wanted to try making our own, so she bought me my first international cuisine cookbook. I started at the beginning and cooked my way through to the end! It was a great experience and we learned together how to shop in the "Ethnic" section of the grocery store. We even ventured out to an Asian Foodmarket for some hard to find ingredients. In between those trials, Sr. (my name for my grandmother) would fix old family favorites for me and share her recipes in her recipe box. She loved new recipes too and was a sucker for kitchen gadgets, something that has rubbed off on me 100%.
Thus started my culinary road. I have rarely strayed from cutting out new recipes and reading cookbooks from beginning to end like one reads a novel. God placed many great cooks in my path and sent me off on many an eating and cooking adventure that grew my skills in the kitchen.
But what have I to offer you? Me. Not all of me, just the part that knows how to cook. You see along these different roads I have travelled, I have heard the same thing over and over again. Mainly it is the disbelief that they(you) can cook well. Well to quote a famous TV chef "This isn't rocket science!" And I'm here to show you how or at least help you along the way.
My goal here is to help you gently put down that box of Hamburger Helper and try to make dinner from a recipe or from – now hold on to your seat – scratch using your own imagination. It’s not that hard and with a little guidance it can be very tasty.
Every few days I’ll post some recipes from either my cookbook or from my kitchen along with tips and techniques. I’ll also try and give you some shopping guidance too. You would be surprised how many people don't know how to pick a good pear from the produce section.
But for now your first assignment is to get your mise en place ready for learning. Until my next post….Bon Appetite!
I think in some ways the need for me to write has always been there. The need for me to eat, I was born with, but the need for me to cook arrived when I went to college. There I lived alone in a nice little house trailer own by an elderly lady who knew Moses personally. She wasn't really that old, but to a older teen she seemed so.
I was a picky eater to some extent: green beans, corn, broccoli, asparagus and artichokes were the only things that constituted as vegetables. The latter two were always smoothered in butter. But when I was alone, the need for me to eat won out and I started cooking. I found that I was willing to try new foods if I could prepare them myself.
I lived about 30 miles from my grandmother and would visit her every weekend. She was a great cook and loved having someone to cook for and with. We started eating Chinese food together and wanted to try making our own, so she bought me my first international cuisine cookbook. I started at the beginning and cooked my way through to the end! It was a great experience and we learned together how to shop in the "Ethnic" section of the grocery store. We even ventured out to an Asian Foodmarket for some hard to find ingredients. In between those trials, Sr. (my name for my grandmother) would fix old family favorites for me and share her recipes in her recipe box. She loved new recipes too and was a sucker for kitchen gadgets, something that has rubbed off on me 100%.
Thus started my culinary road. I have rarely strayed from cutting out new recipes and reading cookbooks from beginning to end like one reads a novel. God placed many great cooks in my path and sent me off on many an eating and cooking adventure that grew my skills in the kitchen.
But what have I to offer you? Me. Not all of me, just the part that knows how to cook. You see along these different roads I have travelled, I have heard the same thing over and over again. Mainly it is the disbelief that they(you) can cook well. Well to quote a famous TV chef "This isn't rocket science!" And I'm here to show you how or at least help you along the way.
My goal here is to help you gently put down that box of Hamburger Helper and try to make dinner from a recipe or from – now hold on to your seat – scratch using your own imagination. It’s not that hard and with a little guidance it can be very tasty.
Every few days I’ll post some recipes from either my cookbook or from my kitchen along with tips and techniques. I’ll also try and give you some shopping guidance too. You would be surprised how many people don't know how to pick a good pear from the produce section.
But for now your first assignment is to get your mise en place ready for learning. Until my next post….Bon Appetite!
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