With the new perspective of completely different food circumstances, very close access to anything I need, different climate offering different options and a sudden change in seasons, I found myself thinking in completely different ways about food.
Now, I've been feeling in a rut for a very long time. Every time I looked in my fridge and shelves, I'd find the same ingredients. I'd use the same recipes and make the same meals. Not that they were bad meals. But we were all getting tired of them.
Well, the first month we were here, I had no cookbooks and no internet to look up recipes. My brain was my only resource. It's long been my habit to cook based on the needs of the ingredients, rather than by formula from a book. My favorite cookbook is
Cooking A to Z by Jane Horne. It's attraction is the simple breakdown of ingredients and techniques alphabetically, with excellent recipes to illustrate each idea.
Having used this resource for a while, I've memorized a bunch of foods and techniques, and I can cook a decent variety of things. I'm accustomed to pulling out the book, just to check everything. (to the point that the pages are sticking together and one of the covers of the paperback is torn off)
So, I just dug into my memory, trusted myself and let go.
And I've found a whole new world of food.
I've been able to make things I've always made-Fettucini Alfredo, Tomato sauce, Lentil Dal, my Enchiladas. Along with totally new ideas- slow cooked barbeque chicken, squash and potato soup and ginger salad dressing.
I've been going to the store across the street almost every day, and choosing the tastiest looking ingredients, sometimes letting the kids pick, sometimes going with a flavor I craved. We've branched out into theme foods (no, you cannot see pictures of the Gross Me Out dinner, let's just say, my husband couldn't eat it!). We've varied ethnicities, cooked more dishes per meal, and generally enjoyed our food much much more.
Now that I've got access to the internet, I've been checking out new spices and ingredients. I've been listening to the Splendid Table podcasts,for ideas of things I'd like to try and foods that might go with a wine I've had my eye on. I even bought an e-book of Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, a delightful resource for mastering some foods that sound gourmet, but really are the foundation of all good food.
I feel like I've entered a whole new level of cooking. That month without the backup of resources gave me a new confidence in my knowledge and skills. I never thought I would, in the course of an ordinary day, decide to bake dinner rolls. But there I am, trying the recipe on the back of the yeast package, and then tinkering with it a little to make hamburger buns.
The only downfall? If I go back to shopping once a week and buying staples, I fall right back into the habit of never knowing what to cook, and not enjoying the process or the result.
I guess I'll just have to keep finding the time to be spontaneous!
-Simbelmyne