Sustenance 1

I don’t want to turn EHTT into a food blog. But ... I cook. It is more than a hobby but one I have no desire to take further than having it just BE an important part of my life.

I’ve been posed the question of how and why I learned to cook. Given their expressions I see their fear. Their eyes question me like I’ve gone through some cooking school boot camp where a secret cabal of iron chefs preside over age-old recipes of spice mingling and time juggling. If I could have only learned that way, it would be a better story. Though, the time juggling is still a huge conundrum. I don't do that part very well.....

My reply to the blank stare is relatively simple, “My mom taught me how to make breakfast.” That is where it started. Although, just between me and world, I think she taught me how to deal with scrambled eggs so that she didn’t have to get out of bed on the cold Michigan mornings at 6 a.m. before I ran out the door to catch the Jr. High school bus. But, that’s ok. No harm, no foul. And, I actually thank her for giving me the confidence to plow forward in the realm of the kitchen (and laundry, too).

The next question is usually, “Why?”

The answer is simple, because I enjoy it.

Now, I will admit I don’t fear the kitchen, but my recent foray into the creative side of recipes started with being told I had high cholesterol. Hyper-Cholesterolemia, actually. The kind of medical deal that could kill me in 10 years or so. Therefore, I took control of my diet, promptly lost about 15 pounds, and rededicated myself to the gym (and, I down a Lipitor every night).

But the cooking thing has stuck. No doubt it is a creative outlet. Healthy food and making it tasty is fun. It is something I hope to pass on to my overly food-picky kids. The Boy is already requesting that I keep the necessary ingredients for chocolate chip bars on hand at all times and he is a master at his own version of scrambled eggs. And, The Girlie loves to put on an apron and help chop stuff (my personal sous chef). When she helps me cook, the kitchen is fun.

For me, this cooking thing is nothing more than a way to cut loose, play, and trifle with folly. It’s pure fun with organic chemistry. Nothing matters. I’ve failed miserably yet I’ve had a mere handful of stunning successes. The more I try, the better I get. Practice is what it is all about.

Outside of baking (and I haven’t EVEN wanted to go THERE), I pirate every recipe. Everything is an improvisation.I am a pirate, no doubt.

(from Pirates of the Caribbean) Elizabeth: You're pirates. Hang the code, and hang the rules. They're more like guidelines anyway.

ImprovWhat matters more than anything, is the longer one cooks, the better the learned alphabet.

It is all about intuition these days. I’ve enjoyed eating all my life so I trust what my palate has to say. I’ve learned to love the food and wine pairing. But, quite honestly, it gets a little over the top for me sometimes. Although, “Eat your Brussels Sprouts and finish your milk” is simple culinary disaster. No wonder kids hate green vegetables. Give them some wine with their meal, please! Kids drink wine in Europe!

Yet, I make mistakes. Catastrophes happen. It’s just a badge of honor or courage, I guess. Yet, while successes make great dinner parties, disasters get talked about. So, I have stories.

So, here we go. Just like the musical lyrics part of this blog (Life's Lyrics), I plan to share interesting meals and times. Wine. Beer. And Food. Because, quite honestly, nothing is better than creating a nice meal and sharing it with friends and family. Those are better stories.

Sustenance 1
Albertson’s had beef rib-eyes on sale. So, tonight The Girlie and I bbq’d us up some steaks and some sweet corn-on-the-cob. But the key part for me was the Confetti Salad…. A mixture of cooked brown rice, zucchini, carrots, tomato, red bells, green onions, red onions, cilantro all chopped up in tiny pieces. I'm talking borderline salsa chopped. Add a bit of lime juice, canola oil, some jalapeño, salt, pepper and a can of drained/rinsed black beans, and I was good to go. Who needs measurements? Go with what looks/tastes good.

It wasn’t amazing. But it was fresh and good with the steaks. Next time, I might add the bbq’d corn right into the salad. I'm going to knife it right off the cob and into the salad...

Wine of the night: Tobin James - James Gang Reserve Sarah (2004). It was paired more to go with the steak, but honestly worked well with the confetti salad, too.

Cheers.