The Everyday Gourmet – Almost

I think I’ve probably said this before, but I’m saying it again. I enjoy cooking. I never really had time to fix elaborate meals but for the occasional weekend experience when I had time to devote to the project. I especially didn’t cook breakfast, usually opting for a breakfast sandwich behind the wheel of my car on the way to work.

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Thanksgiving Greetings From Vicksburg

The holiday crush is upon us. It’s time to pack on the pounds and dole out the dollars. With a mad dash here and a mad dash there, here a dash, there a dash, everyday a dash, dash. In other words, it’s the holidays. November and December are always such special months of the year. But ultimately, the hustle and bustle culminates in the sharing of relaxed meals with loved ones and cozy nights by the fire.

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It Really Is The Little Things

A few weeks ago, I was in a baking / cooking kind of weird mood. I don’t think I was bored exactly, just looking for a creative outlet other than writing. My hubby and I have been trying to eat sensibly so I thought that if I pre-made some meals, we could have half the portion now and freeze the other half to eat later. It was a good idea and it worked, until I stopped pre-making the meals and we ran out of the frozen stuff. Now it’s back to “what are we going to have for dinner tonight?” (sigh)

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Reaping The Rewards of Quarantine

I don’t know how long it’s been for you folks, but here at Casa Baer we’ve going into our seventh week of self-isolation. According to our Governor and our Mayor, it looks like we’ve got at least two more to go before “we re-evaluate.” I’m hoping that by the second week of May we’ll be able to enter Phase I and start to see some movement toward “normal,” around here. What that means for my business remains to be seen, but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to welcome guests again in the near future. I’m hoping for June, but only time will tell. Right now I’m an innkeeper with nothing to keep.

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Research and Substitutions – Making The Most of What You’ve Got

Our local leaders advised us last week to try to stay home for just one entire week. Don’t go anywhere, including the grocery store. We were strongly encouraged to NOT go anywhere unless it was an absolute emergency. We were given a 2-day notice that law enforcement was going to be cracking down on folks just randomly out and about. I’m not really sure how they intended to actually police that, but I did my best to comply.

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Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me

In my continuing pursuit of individual improvement this year, I’ve been going through shelves, drawers, closets, boxes, etc. and trying to determine what is essential in my life and what can be repurposed, regifted, or plain ole thrown away. I recently blogged about decluttering and I said that I had been unsuccessful in that endeavor. However, I actually have made some progress.

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Some Days Are Hard

You ever have one of those days when it feels like nothing is going right? You know the days I’m talking about, you get up on the wrong side of the bed or the planets don’t line up or whatever. This past weekend I had one of those days. It was more like two of those days in a row, but it just felt like I should crawl back into bed and stay there until, oh I don’t know, summer.

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‘Tis Strange But True

Hello blog friends. Because I know how much each and every one of you enjoys wasting spending a few minutes each Monday here at the Edge of Eternity, today I bring to you another installment of weird facts. You’re welcome. Now grab your coffee, Mountain Dew, iced tea, bottled water, wine, or whatever beverage you prefer, sit back, put your feet up and enjoy the silliness.

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Deep Motivational Thoughts

So I’m back in the saddle again. Sort of. I’m not galloping full speed ahead or anything, but I’m chugging along doing normal things. Sort of. I still get tired out but one step at a time. It’s the second Monday in a row that I haven’t had to see a medical professional, so that’s a very good thing.

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A Pinch of This, A Dash of That, A Smidgeon of . . . What In the World?

Photo courtesy Google Images

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.

Photo courtesy Google Images

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?

Photo courtesy Google Images

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.

 

 

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