Rookie Cookery

I Haven't Been Cooking Lately And It's Bumming Me Out

Several months ago, the hours at my job changed such that most days I work until 6 PM (or 8 PM on Friday nights). What this has meant for me and my family is that I am not cooking much these days. And when I do cook, it is likely to be a re-run of an old stand by-- in other words, Nothing to Blog About.

This is bumming me out. I had no idea how much preparing the family meal had become a kind of grounding, comforting activity for me. The work of planning and preparing the meals kept me oriented in time and space. It provided a rhythm to my days. Now I feel kind of anxious and disoriented, wondering if I have bought the right groceries when someone else is going to assemble a meal out of them.

Needless to say, it has also wreaked havoc with this, a "food blog". I still have plenty to read and say and experience about food, but when it comes to blogging I find myself feeling like I am coming late to the dinner table in more ways than one. Where are my pictures of food, amatuer offerings though they may be? Where are the new (to me, anyway) recipes? Well they aren't there, and so I feel at a loss. I was so used to starting each post with a picture, and I feel kind of sheepish when I come up empty handed.

There have been some silver linings to this gloomy cloud, though. For one thing, I have witnessed the men in the family being resourceful about food, and my dear husband often has something ready for me to eat when I get home, even though he also spent a long day at his job. That's something I sincerely appreciate. And I am also making more regular use of the crock pot, which is really a wonderful invention, provided I remember to make the time to prepare the meal in the morning.

Even if I haven't been cooking much lately, I still love reading my favorite food blogs and seeing what others have been cooking up lately. It is a kind of literary feasting that is still very satisfying.

Speaking of literary feasting, (as in my last post), hop on over to Vanilla Garlic and read Garrett's very funny and entertaining "foodie" version of Dante's Inferno, called Garrett's Inferno. After you read part one, you will want to read part two, of course. Good stuff!

Music to Cook By (the meme)

The Amatuer Gourmet Adam has suggested a blog meme wherein we create an iTunes iMix of "music to cook by." Based on song titles and a driving beat, (and my eclectic iTunes library) I couldn't resist mixing up a play list of my own. This is my Music to Cook By Playlist, and below are the food related notes on the song selections. Thanks for the fun meme, Adam! (And yes, I spent way too much time on this!)

When I was growing up, cooking was some kind of weird science, mysterious and complicated. Some of my early mistakes had me afraid I would end up burning down the house. Then I started watching cooking shows, saw something I liked and decided to whip it up. It was hella good! Soon I was trying new techniques, like learning to saute meats to a golden brown, or transforming a broth that looked like some kind of weird Ant Soup into a delicious stew. And that is one of the things I love about cooking; It is a creative process, where one thing leads to another. You don't have to be an expert--everybody can have fun tonight in the kitchen.

When it comes to meal planning, I like to shake things up a little. No need to re-hash the same old thing. Top it all off with hot chocolate for dessert. Tasty, tasty, tasty!

Some people don't care about the cooking process-- "She blinded me with science," they complain, "It's too much information. I just want to eat." But cooking is a science, as well as an art. As the saying goes, "feed a man a fish, feed him for a day--teach him to fish and he eats all his life." The same is true with me and cooking. Take me out to eat and I'll enjoy the chef's meal. Teach me tonight how to cook something delicious and I'll be cooking and eating for a long time to come.

Post Thanksgiving Thoughts

Post Thanksgiving Thoughts, 2006

1. Begin the meal by giving thanks. This year our Grace was extemporaneous, but here's a prayer I still recall from the Episcopal prayer book, which I chose at my Father's request when I was a teenager to use before dinner at our house:

"Give us grateful hearts, our Father, for all Thy mercies; And make us mindful of the needs of others. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord; Amen."

2. Set a pretty table. Even though you have a cold, even though there are only five of you this year, even though Grandma's china needs to be hand washed and you are tempted to skip it this year... haul it out and make a fuss over the table setting anyway. Use a shimmery table cloth, light candles, use the funky gold and black mid-century tumblers with the celestial theme that you bought at the antique store, just because they are so dramatic, use the red cloth napkins because they are the only ones that sort of go with the gold cloth, heap a bunch of glimmery gold-bronze-champagne mini Christmas ornaments in a curvy crystal bowl... Because remember you eat with your eyes first, and that includes a sumptuous visual backdrop for the feast. And because everyone likes it!

3. Remember to order a fresh turkey in your desired size range well in advance of the holiday. Otherwise you will have to buy one that is too big for your roasting pan, (22 pounds), and is a tad inconvenient to handle, like I did this year, even though in actual fact we love turkey leftovers and we do in fact have a freezer.

4. Never trust those tables that estimate how long it will take your turkey to roast. Even though it is very big, it will NOT take you seven hours, or even five hours. In fact it is likely to be done a couple hours early.

5. If the turkey is done way too early, turn the oven down and don't panic. Just keep it warm. It was juicy and delicious anyway, and I had ample time to "carve" (and by this I mean carve with a knife and at times to rip to shreds with my bare hands) the beast.

6. It's true: According to Alton Brown, it is not necerssary to baste a turkey. Turkey skin is in fact waterproof, and repeatedly opening the oven only increases the cooking time (although I could have used a bit more time this year...)

7. I totally love my Polder Cooking Timer and Thermometer. Pure genius: I insert the probe into the roast, let the wire snake out the closed oven door to the digital display on my counter top. I set the target temperature (161 degrees for turkey) and compare it to the current internal temperature of the meat. When it reaches the target temperature, it beeps at me and I know it is done to my specification. How did I live without this thing in years past?

8. Maybe I really ought to try brining the next turkey before roasting. My friend Emmy tried it this year and says she'll never do it any other way again.

9. Dash on over to Simply Recipes for Elise's roundup of turkey leftover recipes! Yum.

10. It's time to get a decent stock pot. Mine is too small. Put it on The Wish List.

11. Turkey soup has curative, anti-cold properties. Time to cook up a hot batch for supper!

Market Day Flowers

Sometimes when I go to the Farmer's Market, if I have any change left after buying produce, I splurge on a bunch of flowers.

This family sells both flowers and vegetables. I bought a bunch of bok choy from them, because I have never cooked it before and it looked good. (And it was...I steamed it and added a light flavoring of oyster and soy sauce).

Last week, I couldn't decide whether to get the zinnias or the sunflowers, so I bought a bunch of each.

No regrets.

The Old Foodie is a Must Read Food Blog

I know, I know, there's a new food blog started about every ten minutes. But here's one you won't want to miss: The Old Foodie.  It's written by a food historian with a literate style and fascinating, frequent pithy quotes from food lore and literature...Well, it's food blogger's gold, that's all.  It's so good, I'm kinda jealous. What are you waiting for? Go.

Table Manners

"No elbows on the table, please."  Along with saying "please" and "thank you", this was only one of the points of etiquette I was taught at my family dinner table here in the United States. But what if you lived in another part of the world? Here's a fun little interactive tour of dining etiquette so you can be prepared for the politics of politeness on other parts of the globe.

Incidentally fun fact:  The word "elbow" was selected as the most beautiful word in the English language by persons who did not speak English. 

I'm baaaaack.....

OK, so I haven't been posting in a long while. Weeks, even. Here's the short and sweet explanation.

Since the beginning of the year I have been wondering the following things: Should I continue to blog? And if so, what theme or direction do i want to take? (If I do indeed continue to blog, I think I know the answer to that second question now).

Then there were the personal issues that required my attention, including someone I love being seriously ill. In addition, I have been experimenting with my own diet, with very enlightening (and positive) results. I'd like to share some of that on the blog too--but in the short term it did not make for very interesting recipes to share.

Meanwhile I do have a backlog of pictures and cooking experiments to share, while I try to get a grip on the larger picture. Thanks to those of you who have checked in from time to time. I'll try to make it worth your while.

Choosing healthy and Eco-friendlier fish to eat

The health benefits and culinary delights of eating fish are many. But is it safe? Have water pollution and over-crowded farm-fishing compromised all fish equally? And what about the problems of "by-catch", when other creatures such as dolphins, non-target fish and birds get caught and killed along with the rest of the catch?

Here's a resource that aims to help the consumer make informed choices about what to buy and eat. Oceans Alive has created a list of Best and Worst Seafood Choices to consider, in terms of environmental and health impact. The "fish to avoid" list bears careful study. For example, wild striped bass is considered more risky from contaminants than farmed striped bass. (In fact, farmed striped bass may actually be a hybrid fish.) In addition, recommendations may vary depending upon the age and gender of the person eating the fish, since young children or pregnant women are more vulnerable to the long term effects of contaminants in the fish. And while one fish may rate as "healthier" than another, it may rate poorly in terms of environmental impact of the way it is caught. As always, there are many facets to consider before you head to the fish monger. I wonder what kind of striped bass I just cooked? Wild or farmed? Next time I'll know what to ask before I buy.

While you are there, you can download a Pocket Seafood Selector to take with you, and read about healthful fish oil supplements. If nothing else, following the recommendations to choose from a variety of fish should be an enriching experience.

Artisanal Olive Oil

It's nice to have friends with good taste. My sister-in-law Sue Riera gifted me with a locally produced, California artisanal olive oil this past Christmas. She knows the owners of the French Creek Olive Oil Company, Don and Patti Dolan, who tag the bottles with the date of the olive pressing and the specific name of the olive grove and oil. For example, the bottle pictured above is titled "Logan, Rock Wall Vinyard, November 7, 2005." Their olive groves are located in Shingle Springs, not too far from Sacramento CA and they can be reached at Dolan@directcon.net if you'd like to reserve some olives for your own oil pressing this fall. (NOTE: The Dolans also pick from other olive groves in Amador County which feature 100 trees or more).

I don't know much about oilive oil, although I use it frequently. This oil is a lemony yellow color, and has a delicate taste that I will enjoy using in salad dressings or on bruschetta. I was told once that the deeper, greener color an olive oil is, the more "fruity" it will taste. I'm afraid that's all the guidance on olive oil I can offer at this point, but fortunately for you, dear reader, there is a terriffic article called How To Taste Olive Oil over at 101 Cookbooks.

Having read the article on how to taste olive oil, I confess I did not work too hard at sucking up the oil and determining if it was a "one, two or three cough" oil. Perhaps I could say it tasted "grassy". What I can say for sure about my Logan oil is: it was good! And that's good enough for me.

McSweeney's Reviews of New Food

Food bloggers everywhere find inspiration, horror, and often a good laugh in the latest collection of McSweeney's online literary offerings on the subject of "New Food."

Like any pot-luck, there are some entries that may repulse you, but there are many tasty articles on topics such as:

Coddle (an Irish stew of boiled sausages, onions, bacon and potatoes)
Fennel seeds (well past their prime)
Manzanita Sol (Pepsi's apple flavored soda)
Satay Vegetables in Skewen, Wales
Lay's Dill Pickle Potatoe Chips (the litmus test for being Canadian)
Doritoes that are too cheesy
Pork Skins
Caramel Apple Fig Newtons
Dry Brown Curds Snack
Breast Milk
Navel Orange (a hilarious observation on its snackability)
and Smuckers Uncrustables Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches as shared by Ogden Nash.

There's more, but if that doesn't make you go read it then there's no hope for the power of the link. You can even add your own entry.