Inspire & Create

The gloomy rainy day we are having sort of echoes the sentiment of the world today. Yesterday was drop dead gorgeous and I took advantage with a two hour hike with my dog. It was after that, thank-you, that the wind picked up.

I have been finding it easier as each day passes to convert to my eating plan. I have also been researching and thinking a lot about this. In Fast Food Nation there is a story about a mother in I think, the 1950's, that walked to the market to buy her groceries, then she made a barley and mushroom soup. She wasn't 'making do' that was the kind of meal to cook; using wholegrains and produce that was available - and walking to get it, wow what a concept.

With the feminist movement in the seventies and the fact that a mother had to work outside the house, the food industry took advantage (but it was also a demand) and made frozen meals and easy to prepare food - hamburger helper, frozen pizza. To spend a day in the kitchen was almost an embarrasment. Make it fast and make it very easy so you could get on with your life outside the home. It was usually the older women in the family that cooked, grandmothers or great-grandmothers - and it maybe became a family affair during holidays. It was a treat to get their homecooked meals and freshly baked cookies.

We have come full circle in recognizing the value of a home cooked and homemade meal. But cooking is not a spectator sport - it is not turning on a cooking show and watching it, without taking some kind of notes. The recipes and ideas that are given to us are worthy. It is not a new gadget to buy and let sit on your counter top because it gives a sort of status symbol. And cooking a recipe is not some sort of death-defying act. A kitchen is a place and cooking there needs to nurture our souls while the food we cook there nurtures our bodies.
I have hundreds of recipes and ideas I have jotted down over the years, some I try, some I adjust by omitting or adding an ingredient. But I keep my inspiration book close by when I watch tv shows or borrow books from the library. Or if I make something that really rocks and don't want to forget it - or if a friend does - it goes in my little book. Keep a notebook with you - get a cool one from a bookstore and keep it handy and write what inspires you. It may not be all recipes but quotes and ideas about the kitchen. It may be about your fresh herbs that you grow on your windowsill or ingredients you want to try. It's your book for you to write what inspires you.
The last few days have been leftovers. Today I made an amazing breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, cheddar and tomato wrapped in a hot tortilla. Simple, yea. :)
Peace ~