I enjoy cooking. I enjoy eating. I enjoy trying new dishes and recipes. I love reading and collecting recipes and flipping through cook books. I would love to take some cooking classes. I want to learn how to cook like a pro, flipping omelets with ease, flinging pizza dough over my head, frying up the perfect sunny side up egg. I’m excited just thinking about tying on a pristine white apron.
When I was growing up my mother prepared well-balanced, colorful meals, but painfully lacking in variety. Every week saw the same dishes set before us, spaghetti, meatloaf, tacos, the occasional casserole. These dishes were accompanied by over cooked vegetables or boring green salads with vinegar and oil for dressing. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my mother to pieces and she never failed to have those healthy meals on the table for us each evening, for which I am eternally grateful. But, she lacked imagination or innovation or creativity of any kind when it came to cooking. Her spices of choice were salt and pepper and when she did get a little crazy and add herbs they usually consisted of dehydrated chives for the baked potatoes.
I think my husband wishes I were a little more like my mother in that regard. He’d be happy to have hamburgers or pizza (or both) every night of the week without ever seeing a vegetable or anything he can’t pronounce on the table. And don’t even say the word “fish,” when he’s around.
My poor, poor husband. I’m afraid his destiny is to endure experimental meals; meals prepared with love from the caring hands of the woman he loves. At least that’s what I keep telling him.
After many years of experimental cooking, let me give you a tip, read everything before doing anything. The preparation instructions are just as important as the list of ingredients. On more than one occasion I have been whipping and stirring and folding in things only to discover that my delicacy must marinate or some other such process for several hours before moving on to the next step. There goes dinner for that night. And, how often have you been mixing like mad, adding dashes of this, and pinches of that, only to discover that the next ingredient is something you’re either out of, or have not idea what it is? Yes folks, that has happened to me. I’ve learned to read carefully before assembling products and gathering dishes and utensils.
While cooking is fun and eating is enjoyable, the preparation process can be tedious and downright frustrating. Here are some examples of ingredients I’ve come upon while preparing to serve an outrageously delicious meal: Amchur powder, garam masala, bulls horn peppers, ground sumac, elderflower liqueur, locatelli cheese, dry prosecco, Taleggio cheese, furikake, sharp pecorino, wattleseed, Fleur De Sel. That last one is just sea salt and why in God’s name the recipe doesn’t just say sea salt is beyond me, but what the what? I guess, “sprinkle liberally with Fleur De Sel” does sound better than “salt at will,” but really, do I need to go to the trouble of locating and purchasing glorified salt?
Well, if I’m anything, I’m persistent. Google is my best friend and the store manager at my local supermarket has learned to run and hide if he sees me in the store, because I have sent him on a wild goose chase on more than one occasion looking for that special ingredient for my dinner. After I discover what furikake or bulls horn peppers are, I will spend way longer than necessary trying to find them at the market. Or, special order them.
And then there’s this quandry: you locate the item, or a close equivalent if you’ve been lucky enough to find out what that substitute item might be, only to discover that it costs like $100 for a half an ounce. You only need an 1/8 of a teaspoon and you’ll probably never use it again, but should you buy it – just in case it makes or breaks the dish you’ve been longing to try? I mean will you even notice if the wattleseeds are not present?
Ah yes, the joys of cooking and experimenting with new recipes. I have an impressive collection of spices and quite an assortment of colored salts (they’re all the rage now apparently), but my pocketbook is also considerably lighter. Was it worth it? Don’t ask my husband.
How about you friends, do you enjoy experimenting in the kitchen with crazy new ingredients and recipes? What’s the most money you’ve spent on something for a recipe? What’s the weirdest ingredient you’ve come across in your cooking adventures? How often have you Googled an ingredient in a recipe? I’d love to know. Please share.
Word of the Day: Jaup
Fun Fact About Me: I sometimes try a recipe just because I like the name of it (can you say “Pasta Ponza?”)
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, April 2015. Photos courtesy Google Images.
Cooking isn’t my favorite thing to do, but I try new recipes from time to time…such as the recent sugar free angel food cake I attempted to make for my husband’s birthday. In my defense, he said he didn’t want cake because he didn’t need to gain weight, so I thought I was doing him a favor. It was a disaster. It looked bad and tasted even worse. Next time, he’s totally getting the full-sugar boxed version.
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Ha ha ha. That’s funny. Nothing like trying something new on a special day right? I’ve done that before and I’ve learned that it’s best to just stick with the norm on “special” days.
And there’s something to be said for those boxed varieties.
Thanks for visiting.
Patricia
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Ok since I am mentioned in this interesting piece of shall we say fluffery, I need to clarify my eating requirements, when you find something that I like it would be nice to have it again, or at least within the next 5 years of its first offering. I love my wife to death she is the best wife a man could ever want but sometimes a good hamburger will put to shame any fancy recipe.
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But my darling, I do offer the same fare, almost weekly. You always, and not so politely sometimes, decline my offer of salad.
Your objections have been noted. Do I see a juicy grilled burger in your near future? Hmmmm.
I love you.
Patricia
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I am totally un-creative when it comes to cooking! I do like to try out recipes once in a while, but my criteria must be met, which mainly is: Fast, easy, and no weird ingredients. My daughter is a foodie, heaven knows where she got that. One of the reasons I enjoy her time home from college is because she grocery shops and cooks–and what she cooks is usually both yummy and healthy. My husband is like yours, because when she went back to school after spring break, he said, “I’m tired of frou-frou food.” LOL!
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Ha – frou-frou food!! No appreciation I tell you. No appreciation.
Well, at least we know the men in our lives are pretty easy to please, huh? There’s something to be said for that.
Thanks for stopping by Jennette.
Patricia
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Dang. I’m out of sea salt. I wish I’d read this while I was at the grocery store. I used to enjoy trying new foods but got tired of people (preteen) not eating so now when they complain of the same old thing I just tell them they could try making dinner. And yes. We’re having tacos. Again.
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Oh Kristina, I feel your pain. I’m sure if I had kiddos our meals would be quite different. I remember those days from when I was a kid, too. I think my hubby is still in that “phase.”
Nothing wrong with tacos. Again.
Thanks for stopping by. Don’t forget the salt.
Patricia
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It sounds like you cook like me, Patricia. I have managed to hold up many a recipe because I didn’t read through the whole thing first. “Oh, you’re supposed to cream the butter and sugar before adding the flour.” I’ve learned to just roll with the punches and my spice collection keeps growing. I doubt I’ll ever use that garam masala again either after several failed attempts at chicken tikka masala. You just can’t recreate the same restaurant flavor at home when it comes to Indian food. Happy cooking!
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And happy cooking to you as well Jessica. It’s fun but I’ve found that some of those crazy dishes that I spend a lot of money on, aren’t worth it. Too much prep time for the amount of flavor I get in return.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great rest of the week.
Patricia
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Wow, you’re totally serious about becoming a gourmet chef! I think that’s awesome! I seldom cook anymore, but I love to try new foods, and I like spicy foods. My problem is, I have a sensitivity to gluten, so the foods I can eat now are pretty limited.
My husband is happy with pizza and burgers, too. And he cooks the burgers. There’s a crockpot full of spicy chili that he cooked, and this post made me hungry for some! I hope your hubby learns to enjoy your frou-frou recipes. He doesn’t know how lucky he is!
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Well Lynn, my desire to cook and experiment may be fueled in the near future if all goes well with my plans. There are changes on the horizon for me and my family, the nature and extent of which will be disclosed when the time if right. But, let’s just say that I may be doing a lot more cooking and experimenting very soon.
Thanks for stopping by. It’s always nice to see your smiling face.
Patricia
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Believe it or not I do all the cooking in our place. I actually like cooking even if my kitchen is the size of a small closet. I will be at mom’s tomorrow manning the BBQ!
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Woo hoo! Here’s to a man in an apron! Happy mother’s day, Phil!
Patricia
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I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and I love reading cookbooks. My fave way to cook these days is more of the quickfire–trying to come up with something creative with what’s in the fridge. 🙂 OH and I’ve learned that a jaup of turmeric infused sauce will brighten a white apron. Ha ha.
Hope you’re having a good week!
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Quickfire? We call that refrigerator surprise at my house.
“A jaup of turmeric infused sauce will brighten a white apron.” Very nice.
Thanks for appreciating my interest in reading cookbooks. I can spend hours lost in a cook book.
Patricia
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