Recognizing a Cooking Style

Or that you don’t have one.  The collection of recipes here is a bit random.  My interests (in life and in cooking) are all over the place.

But nothing gets on here without being made, eaten and liked — because why would you blog about a meal you hated (generally speaking).

There are some unifying factors of course, gluten free being at the top.  But in the Italian style, almost everything we cook quickly for dinner typically starts with diced onions and garlic sautéd in olive oil — the herbs vary depending the the direction – basil and oregano for tomato based, rosemary for chicken, simply gf flour, salt and pepper for a white sauce, pepper and chilies for a Indian or Tex-Mex journey, potatoes or mushrooms for a more French or Irish feel.

I grew up in a meat and potatoes type household with a lot of convenience food and not a garlic bulb in sight (although there were a LOT of onions) — I’m the youngest, my Mom worked and was pretty bored with cooking by the time they had me, and my Dad doesn’t really cook anything besides tomato soup, grilled cheese and brownies. It was the 70s and 80s and most people didn’t experiment with food and cooking the way they do now.  Mum made a lot of casseroles, stews, and convenience food (scalloped potatoes from a box, Hamburger Helper, Shake and Bake, spaghetti sauce from a jar — we did a lot to keep Betty Crocker in business).  More homemade items included macaroni and cheese, corn chowder, meatloaf, homemade pizza (we lived too far from any place that actually made pizza to order it) and something called “Tuna Wiggle.” (tuna noodle casserole with peas).  When I went to college I was not a great cook, and definitely not very experimental.  I did a lot of baking, and baking of course depends on the chemical reaction of the ingredients and the portions of each matter more than in cooking.

When I met my now husband, it was a revelation.  He cooked.  He doesn’t bake.  It completely freaked me out to cook something without slavishly following the recipe.  He loved to experiment and many of the things he makes often never came out quite the same twice.   One of his standbys in college was a simple chicken in wine with artichokes served over rice.  In the same way he had never even heard of Hamburger Helper, I’d never eaten an artichoke in my life.  I’ve gradually adapted to his way and cooking is one of the activities we share the most. With a lot of fresh ingredients and spices. I’m no longer afraid to experiment more with styles of cooking, with ingredients and with ratios — even when baking.  I eat a lot less processed food.

I’ve recognized my inner chef.

Although I still admit to loving Shake & Bake (and inventing a GF substitute!).

 

 

via Daily Prompt: Recognize

Hiatus

So, where was I?

There are two reasons for the delay. 

One, I worked 65 hours a week for most of the past six months.   I didn’t entirely have time to do my laundry or sleep.  Who has time to blog? 

Two, Hubby finally got officially tested for gluten sensitivity.  Not surprisingly, he doesn’t have celiac disease.  We already pretty much knew that, given his penchant for cheating on his gluten-free diet with relatively few severe effects.  Trace amounts of gluten don’t really bother him.  He just can’t eat a plate of semolina pasta. 

Once he got the official diagnosis, he went a little crazy cheating on his diet, since he was less worried about long-term effects.  He could only cheat so much, of course, without consequences.  But he definitely succumbed to a few meatball subs. 

He does still have a gluten-senstivity, though, just not one as easily diagnosed, so we’re still testing products and plugging along with a GF life. 

We’re back!

Hello world!

• Three years ago my hubby had to go gluten free.  Before that, I’d hardly heard of gluten.  Since that time, the amount of gluten-free food has expanded rapidly (which is fantastic, believe me) but the choices can be pretty overwhelming.  I decided to share our adventures and experiments in gluten-free eating.  For some things, I can guarantee you won’t miss the gluten — for other foods, finding a substitute can be a challenge.     There will be taste tests, product reviews, recipes, advice on substitutes and a whole lot more.  I’m aiming at the consumer reports of gluten-free living.  Stay tuned!