MMMMM Food.

I have been blessed with women in my family who cook. My mom and grandmothers are AMAZING cooks. For a long time I thought this was a skill that had past me by. I am actually learning that it is years of experience and the ability to be teachable that made them so great!

So, mom recently had surgery on her Achilles tendon (because she tore it a year ago) and has been on recovery for about 2 months now. That means a lot, A LOT, of sitting around (something she is not so excited about). I will say, I have benefited from this because 1. she has been watching cooking shows non-stop and sharing the info with me, 2. I am getting married and NEED to know this now that I am going to be cooking more in my life and 3. I have been the one cooking dinners for a bit - meaning it's time to apply the skills.

In the process I have found that I have a love for food. Ok, now I knew this, but I didn't know I would enjoy actually making it. For many years I have loved baking, but within the last few months I have found that I love cooking. There are a few restrictions to this love seeing that it needs to have all of the following for me to really enjoy it, otherwise it feels like a chore and something I have to do. So here is my perfect cooking environment

1. A great recipe or something new I want to try. I have to cook off a recipe. I am not one of those people who can just "throw something together" and it is amazing. I wish I could, but I can't.
2. Learn a new technique or skill. This is the best part, because cooking is a learning experience.
3. All the ingredients or know how to substitute for missing ingredients.
4. The right tools. - this I have found extra interesting and there are some great list on what you need in a kitchen
5. Time to enjoy to process and not trying to meet a timeline. Lets face it, timelines create more stress.
6. Great music and a great beverage. This also adds to the "stress-free environment"
7. Family or friends present. Life is better with people to share things with. period.

So in the last few days here is the list of things that I have made:

Homemade Bread Pudding with a Whiskey Sauce (for my dad's birthday on saturday)

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon from The Art of French Cooking (It is easy and YUMMY!!!! was a big hit for my Grandmothers 90th birthday on sunday!)

Jacque's Pommes de Terre Mont d'Or (a mashed potato dish with Gruyere cheese - great for a day old mashed potatoes that you want to do something yummy with!)

Healthy Chicken Enchiladas (everything from scratch, except the tortillas, with lots of fresh veggies)

Buttermilk Cornbread (always good with a honey on top - especially local honey! Which for those of you interested, is good for building a resistance to allergies. Needs to be the honey from the same region you live in.)

Almond dipped in chocolate and Anise with chocolate chip Biscotti's. and the only photo I got was of the biscotti - here you go!