I’ve recently gotten into food shows: not so much the competitions, but the ones
that are more instructional. I’m always on the lookout for ideas for meal
planning and techniques for cooking. I am NOT a creative cook. I’ve always depended
on a good recipe, and just tweaked it as needed to satisfy my family. However,
after watching some of these shows, I feel my creative juices start to flow (at
least a little).
I also have a tendency to be an unenergetic cook. I really
do prefer most food when it is prepared from scratch (although there are some
convenience products that are VERY good!). But I don’t always want to go to the
effort. Watching these shows reinforces how much better good food that is
prepared using good ingredients is than most prepackaged or frozen foods. I
also got a lesson, first hand, while recently cooking for Ricky during his
low-iodine diet. I made all of his bread from scratch…even hamburger buns and
tortillas. I’ve since decided that homemade tortillas are definitely worth the
effort! They are SO much better than store bought. I’ve also learned to really
enjoy and use my bread machine a lot!
I’ve also been doing some experimenting on some of our old “tried
and true” meals. I’ve been trying to use less canned tomatoes and tomato sauce
to help with acid reflux. We happen to eat a LOT of meals that include these! I’ve
experimented with spaghetti by making a couple of different white sauces (which
taste fine, but don’t taste like spaghetti at all) and making an “al fresco”
version (which we all really liked, even though Dennis still prefers the
traditional marinara type sauce). When I do homemade pizza (which is one meal
that I’ve made from scratch for 42 years, because it is definitely worth it!),
I’ve started doing one traditional and one white pizza. I think I like it as
much as regular, and I LOVE pizza! One thing that I’ve been learning is that
fresh ingredients really do make a huge difference.
Something else that I’ve noticed along the way…whenever I’ve
been asked in the past if I enjoy cooking, I’ve always answered that I enjoy
feeding people…and I do. I love to cook for my family and friends! It has never
been the cooking process that I’ve found enjoyable, though. What I’ve always loved
is making people happy through good food. As I learn to be more creative and
try new techniques, however, I am also learning to enjoy the process more. I
don’t just love to feed people anymore, I love to cook!
Don’t get the wrong idea, though. I still enjoy eating out
and doing quick and easy meals at times. Even though I enjoy cooking, I DON’T
enjoy the inevitable clean-up that follows. (And the more “from scratch” that
you prepare, the more clean-up there is!) We actually eat out more now than we
ever have (except for when we were busy remodeling)…mostly at lunchtime. But I
really enjoy having people around to try new and fun recipes out on. Dennis isn’t
exactly an adventurous eater, so having others over gives me more excuses to
try new things. I’m really loving having Sheila’s family over. Matt and Caleb
are both GREAT to cook for! They love “adventurous food” and they make you feel
like a 5 star chef with their compliments.
So what is the purpose of this post? I’m hoping it will
encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Besides food
shows, there are an endless supply of cooking videos on YouTube. Try out different
ethnic foods; try different methods of cooking old favorites; be adventurous!
You might discover that you enjoy cooking more than you realized…like I did.
