Here is my little introduction post.
The decision to start this blog was born out of a sort of off the wall therapy technique I have recently developed. You see, I recently was very ill. I couldn't eat anything at all for three weeks due to Crohn's Disease complications. You would think watching cooking and food shows during that time would have been torturous. But it had the opposite effect on me. It was soothing. Maybe I was "eating with my eyes". Whatever the reason behind it, after a week in the hospital, I was kind of hooked on food shows, blogs, and looking at recipes.
Years ago, I loved to cook new recipes. Try new foods I hadn't tried before. Making my kids try new foods. But then, I was faced with a picky eater for a number of years. I didn't cook or try as many new things because it was super annoying when I would spend so much time and effort on something, only to be told "I don't like steak." (Um, WHO says that.... ever?! My ex-picky eater. That's who.) Incidentally, I did help him discover the joy of a well cooked medium steak (he wouldn't go any rarer. But it was an improvement over the well done he had always tried in the past). Yes, folks, he may as well have just poured some A-1 on some beef jerky and called it steak the way he had been eating it. But I digress.
I realized I missed variety! I had gotten rid of the picky eater, but I still cooked like I hadn't.
This is my resolve to branch out. This is me making my kids branch out. My mom always hated it when someone would say "I don't like that." but when asked if they had ever tried it, they would answer no. I completely agree, Mom. How do you know, if you haven't actually tried it?
Some things I want to work on trying:
Duck. I have never had duck. I want to eat some duck.
Squid/Octopus. I love shellfish. I kind of like some fish, if I recall correctly. But heck, I haven't had fish in so long, maybe I actually love fish.
Sushi. I'll ease in with the cooked stuff, first.
Other fish. From tilapia to salmon and tuna steaks. I'm bound to find a fish and/or recipe that I can add to my and the boy's regular rotation, right?
Eggs. I used to kind of hate them. I have recently changed my mind. Runny yolks scared me. Until in the hospital (when I could FINALLY eat) I ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese muffin and the egg was undercooked. I bit into it and all that runny yolk soaked into my muffin. It was pretty awesome. I actually made toast and sunny side up eggs for me and the boys for breakfast. It was a hit. So more eggs.
Re-purposing left overs. I was always discouraged from doing this. But I think with some creativity they can be just as good as day one. (This will actually be my first forthcoming post after my intro!!)
Gnocchi. I have never had it. I hear it's pretty good.
Some different cooking techniques. I sort of got stuck in saute, bake, boil, grill, or crock pot. I rarely fry or braise.
From there.. who knows. I guess whatever mood strikes me!
