The Cook's Cache

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” –Julia Child, My Life in France

And if you can do all that on a budget? Then you are a real cook.

It is rare that I cook the same recipe twice. Even more rarely do I stick to a recipe. And I refuse to buy anything that isn’t on sale. 

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to buy expensive or bizarre ingredients to make good food. Also, there is no reason why cooking has to be time-consuming. As a new mom with a husband who would live off Chef Boyardee and pizza if given the option, I work every day to use as little time as possible to make things that I like and he might enjoy. When you combine this with the sale flyers for the local supermarkets, the day old bread rack and the bruised vegetable bin the result is always creative and often delicious.

Every recipe has a story. And this is what the cookbooks and magazines always forget. There is a reason why we cook the things we do, a mix of comfort level with knowledge and budget of both time and money. So, it is time to take stock of where we stand. And by we, I mean me. You, of course, are welcome to do so, as well.

I have never considered myself a good cook. Often there is swearing. The smoke detector beeping is a part of most evenings. At least I know it works. My mother is an excpetional cook, as was her mother. And while I had the opportunity to learn, I was always just a bit too afraid of disaster. But over the past few years, living on my own, as a newly-wed, and now as a mother, I have thrown caution to the wind and decided to give this cooking thing an honest try.

So, I invite you along on my adventures in the kitchen. Please be forewarned that accidents do happen, as do leftovers. New recipes are always welcome, but don’t be insulted when I don’t follow them word-for-word even though it is the first time I am trying them. I am unable to leave well-enough alone.