I have a love/hate relationship with food, during most of the year I struggle with getting food out and the utter boredom that comes along with what I term 'grind cooking', because I am grinding out dinners in an effort to get something on the table.
Last night we had a lovely lasagna made with fresh herbs. We paired it with a great bottle of wine and garlic toast. Tonight we are having the remaining lasagna and I am dreaming about what we will have tomorrow.
One last thought on foody-ism, treat yourself to a good set of knives and kitchen utensils. When we were first married I purchased a very good set of professional grade pots & pans with a copper bottom and never regretted that. But it was only until recently that I invested in a good set of knives. It makes everything so much easier when you aren't struggling with dull blades. I wish I had done that sooner. For me all the little things make cooking more enjoyable, good utensils, butter, music and of course a good glass if wine! Bon appetit!
The last few weeks I have gone through 11 pounds if flour with all the baking I have been doing. I have made 6 pies, 1 peach/pear torte, mixed fruit galette and 2 loaves if banana bread.
(Today when I got up and looked in the mirror I noticed a transformation ~ I now resemble the dough girl)
I really envy Europeans their connection to their food, its almost a love affair. Food doesn't have to be exotic either, it could be simple, such as fruit & cheese.
Most Europeans do daily marketing and purchase food in smaller amounts, which translates into fresh good food. I think North Americans have bought into the once a week, mass produced prepackaged type of grocery shopping. It's almost as if we have lost our connection to good simple food all in the name of convenience. I think in my house things are going to change and I am going to put a little more thought into dinners for the rest of the year, I am tired of spaghetti Thursday.
It has taken me many years to get comfortable in my kitchen and lots of trial and error on my part. I also give my hub props for eating some of my culinary offerings. Early on in our marriage I attempted lasagna and let's just say we dubbed the finished product 'bricksagna' we ended up going out for dinner. My things have changed!
9 comments:
I share your love of food. It's nature's gift to us. Fresh ingredients are the key to tasty dishes. I visit my green-grocer often and make stops at gourmet shops, too. Good point about knives -- I have a Japanese chef's knife from Williams Sonoma that cost $250; I feel special just holding it!
Ally - I love specialty shops! Wow that is quite the knife! I have Henckels and they are mid-grade, I lucked out on an incredible sale on them. Next on my list is a Le Creuset cast iron Dutch oven. I also want some new bakeware. When we redo our kitchen I am going to have a lovely marble or granite on the countertop for pastry making.
I have become a fan of Japanese cooking knife a while ago. Having the right tools in the kitchen is half the fun.
Great foodie post Dar. I do once a week shopping but supplement it with more stops during the week. With a plant based diet fresh fruits and veggies are a must.
I love my "western style santoku knife" Lighter than a french knife I have two different sizes and they work great for chopping almost everything that doesn't need a serrated knife.
I check the mail every day but no deliveries of pastries and pies from the Scooterpie Bakery ;-)
I have accumulated quite a few kitchen knives over the years but my favorites are the ceramic ones for fruits and vegetables and an old carbon steel one for meat. The ceramic knife is incredibly sharp even after years of use. And the carbon steel one is easily sharpened.
"Bricksagna"??? LOLOL...Wow.
THat's a first. Not enough liquid-eh? Hey, we have all had interesting experiences in the kitchen, I'm sure. I just love your approach to cooking and baking. I love to cook although I really suck at baking unless it starts from a box. We are headed to Europe for a couple of weeks and we intend to enjoy the food (we are foodies too!) the music and all things European; or at least what we can afford to do. We won't be cooking, but we will enjoy what is cooked for us, I';m sure. Loved this blog!
My brother is a chef. My ex-wife is a wonderful cook/baker. My current girlfriend was a chef and restaurant manager for 20 odd years.
They all say the same things about tools and the freshness of the product. We started our gardens to have fresh produce. The local meat market knows us by name.
So yes, I agree with 125% about getting out of the habit of going to the market once a month. :)
As a teacher I try to get my students to appreciate and learn about the food they consume.
Each one of my students has a chance throughout the year to organize and prepare a full meal for the entire class. It is not hard to get them excited. Humans crave good food and the social aspect of breaking bread together.
I can SO relate. I too have a passion for the notion of serving fresh and shopping almost daily. This comes from my childhood spent in Germany where people did just that.
Now that we are back in the "city" it is so much fun to just explore the aisles and plan a day at a time.
The Pillsbury Dough Girl is setting a mean fashion statement for a cute motorcycling helmet!
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