Cooking Ramble

[forestofglory]

I this morning I made cupcakes with N. We've been doing a lot of baking to keep busy. We made cake, and cookies and quick bread. I love baking with her, it so fun, but I don't generally do it. All the adults in the house are diabetic or at risk of diabetes so we try not to keep too many sweets around.

I enjoying cooking. It's nice to make physical things. When I was learning to cook and for a long time after I would always use a recipe. But now when I make dinner I rarely use a recipe -- or a use one I know by heart. Its nice just make things. I find a lot of cooking is knowing when things look, or taste or smell right. It makes it hard to explain things to other people, especially when they aren't there. But take say cooking an onion -- I know how to cut an onion from doing it so many times. I know what it should smell like cooking, and I know it always takes longer than recipes say it does, and know what it looks like when the onions are cooked. So things I can cook because I know them well are soothing but new recipes often stress me out.

But my favorite thing about cooking is feeding other people! I want to nourish people and give them yummy food. Sometimes this is a bit tricky -- right now everyone in my household is a bit picky and we all have different things we don't eat so finding meals for everyone is a bit less fun. I often struggle with meal planing, and sometimes when its my turn to make dinner I just don't feel very excited by what ever I'm cooking that evening. And I don't often have energy for really complicated stuff.

So I'm really enjoying this lock down baking. I don't have to plan it in advance, I can do it early in the day when I have energy, the kid enjoys doing it with me, its all pretty great.

Comments

[lunabee34]

That sounds like fun. I've been doing more baking than usual, too (although that will stop when we are out of mixes; I don't freestyle gf baking LOL).

[forestofglory]

Oh yeah, baking gf is a whole different thing. I don't know what we are going to do during Passover, especially since I haven't been able to stock up on any supplies.

[lunabee34]

*hugs*

I hope you are able to figure it out. What do you need? Maybe you can crowd source something if you aren't able to get it. I know I'd send you something if I could.

[forestofglory]

That's so kind of you. We have at least one more shopping trip planned before the start of passover, so hopefully we'll be able to get what we need.

I mostly need fairly basic stuff like matzoh and matzoh meal, but I'd also like some almond flour. My mom gave me some egg whites so maybe we will just make merangies

[lunabee34]

*hugs*

I hope you can find what you need on that trip.

[forestofglory]

We got most of it -- no mazoh meal, but a big box of mazoh so I can crush that if I have to.

[lunabee34]

Yay! I'm so glad.

When I had to stop eating mazoh ball soup, I was so sad. It's so yummy. My husband tried making it one day just on a lark, and it became a staple in the house until my celiac diagnosis.

[clevermanka]

You sound like the perfect Penzey's customer. Do you buy their spices?

[forestofglory]

I don't know about this. Tell me more?

[clevermanka]

They're a delightful family-owned company with excellent politics and fantastic spices. Their slogan is "Love People. Cook Them Tasty Food." I can't recommend them enough.

[forestofglory]

Oh wow they do look great! So many options, do you have recommendations for what to start with?

[clevermanka]

My current fave blends are:
Mural of Flavor
Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave.
Arizona Dreaming
Tsardust Memories
Tuscan Sunset

I also use a LOT of:
Roasted Granulated Garlic
Roasted Granulated Onion
Ginger powder
Cinnamon powder
Cumin
Black Pepper

Happy Shopping!

[lunabee34]

I completely agree with clevermanka. I started buying from them when I got diagnosed with celiac because all their spices are gluten free. They're just really tasty and a huge variety. I think they've suspended operations because of COVID-19 right now though.

[clevermanka]

Yep, they're closed for three weeks, but still taking orders, and will be filling them in order of receipt. I should probably put an order in soon...if I'm gonna be dealing with meals from pantry staples instead of fresh vegs, I'm gonna need all the help I can get.

[lunabee34]

Did you get the email the owner/founder sent out today?

It is comforting to me that some businesses/companies/people are approaching this crisis in a conscientious way.

[clevermanka]

It was SO GOOD! I wish they'd post all those emails on social media so I could share them with a wider audience.

[lunabee34]

*nods nods*

[suncani]

That sounds like the best kind of cooking, fun and relaxed. I'm in that in-between stage where I can do basic things without a recipe and can tell when things like chicken and onions are done but I do still need a recipe to at least glance over.

It's become more apparent how much I've learnt when I'm trying to teach the boy how to cook a particular meal. He asks a lot of questions as I do things instinctively. Which is good, but he's also a lot more precise than I am. He measures dashes of salt for example. Which will make him a great baker (his dough is much better than mine) but does make for some interesting moments.

Do you have a loose idea of things you want to make in the next few days?

[forestofglory]

Yeah, its really hard to explain how to do thing instinctively! I am not a very precise baker -- specifically when I have help form the small one. It helps to know which recipes have a bit of give in them, which is another thing I have learned form lots of experience.

I want to make this sesame cake I love but haven't cooked in ages and maybe my favorite cookies too! But its going to be Passover soon, so I'm trying not to get carried away.