Saturday, January 7, 2012

What's Cooking?

It's been a while since I've dedicated myself to cooking. As of late I have been practicing again. I made a 15 minute stew last weekend. It didn't turn out great, but I tried. It's a good start, thoughts of how I can improve upon it run through my head. It's kind of like life, I have to get used to the basics before I start screwing with and embellishing on things.

Last night I made some chicken and egg noodle soup (from a can), but added frozen Trader Joes pot stickers. I gave it plenty of time to cook and took care with it even though it was not all homemade. It was delicious, better than the stew.

Tonight, not feeling so well, and needing some comfort and simple food, I pulled out my copy of The Joy of Cooking my sister gave me years ago and looked up how to bake a potato. I threw a few in the oven, and waited patiently. When they came out and I split one open, I was reaching for the cheddar cheese processed popcorn sprinkles as a topping, but at second thought, I opted for just butter, salt and pepper. It was delicious.

Simple is better, natural is better. I find that when I take the time to cook something, I respect food more. The time and effort that goes into growing it, shipping it, the blessing of having something to eat when others don't. I savor each bite more, and know that it is nourishing my body, not just filling my belly. I also find that when I'm cooking, my mind is void of all else, any problems, obsessive thoughts, etc. I am able to stay in the moment and create something good.

~Jenny

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