"Live with Kate at 8" - My childhood dream was to write cookbooks and star in my own TV show like Emeril Lagasse or Rachel Ray. I watched the Food Channel like it was the Disney Channel. At age ten, I even filled out a college application to attend Johnson & Wales. I don't recall sending it in the mail, but at least I got the practice in early! By the time I was seriously applying to schools, I decided cooking would stay a hobby.
To many, the kitchen is the most important meal (room) in the house - even if you are that guy who burns popcorn every time you think you have the time down to a science or lets their oatmeal overflow in the microwave bowl because you looked away for .025 seconds. The kitchen is the soul of every home and it stimulates the olfactory glands like no other. Memories are generated here so that when we leave that room, we are reminded of home when that smell of cinnamon and chili powder hits the nostrils as we sit in a foreign dining room.
It is funny, then, that my current kitchen is basically the whole house! All 10 feet by 15 feet of it. I admit I slacked on the cooking since leaving my 24-year long hearth. For one, I do not have the usual suspects for baking; no mixing bowls, sharp knives or measuring spoons. Nor do I have an oven to create cookies! I also have just one lonely burner to do all my magic on - which truly makes it magic now when I can make a meal that previously needed the help of three burners.
Another excuse I made for not feeding my passion was the lack of spices and lack of money to stock up on all the essentials. But really, it is cheaper and healthier to cook the lengthy recipes I have in the long-run because they serve triple the people! Last night, I popped in my #BlueOctober CD (#IHopeYoureHappy) and entered the chef Zen mode. I peeled and chopped aromatic fresh garlic, onion, sweet potatoes and an orange pepper - all with a super-duper butter knife. Oops! I nearly took off a finger with the muscle I had to force down on that potato. I am glad I didn't have to call the ER because then I would have to step outside for a phone signal and dial with a bloody finger (or non-finger). Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Speaking of measures, I eye-balled all the spice measurements. I was most tentative when adding the dose of crushed red pepper, but it tasted just right in the end!
I would love to leave pots of stew on the stove all day in lieu of a candle. As soon as my husband came in from work, he commented on the warm aroma. Cinnamon, garlic, cumin, cocoa, and oregano steeped the air like your favorite candle. That scent puts to shame the easily made dinners I had been making. Nothing is wrong with basic Basmati rice, chicken and spinach, but there is no attachment to the senses. I am not reminded of anything special. There is no excuse for being a stranger in a new kitchen, no matter how small or large it is. Build an arsenal of spices and use a dull knife if you have to. Heck - rip that pepper a part with your two hands. Cooking is an old friend that will follow you wherever you go and it will not judge where you have been or where you are now.
Reminding me of my younger years backpacking with limited utensils & ingredients (cooking on a fire) It was challenging but it was a highlight of the day especially because of the hunger factor.