Every day starts with the same question in my head…what can I cook or bake or roast, today? What's for dinner? Growing up and still to this day, no matter what time it is, no matter what meal we’re already eating, we want to talk about dinner. It could be that night’s dinner or tomorrow night’s dinner. It might even be for the next few nights. This depends on how many bottles of vino we’ve drained, but, it always comes back to dinner. Whether it's my immediate family in NYC or my extended family in Austin, TX or Long Island, everyone is wondering what to make for dinner. I know this like my own name.
I happen to love food. I love the entire process from grocery shopping, pouring over recipes, making it up as I go along, baking, broiling, chopping and slicing. Of course, most would say eating is the best part, but the journey to that final plate is what I thoroughly enjoy.
But I’m not a shortcuts gal. I don’t really like to cut corners. My family says I can be a bit much when it comes to my philosophy. And, yes, cooking can be time consuming if your roasting a pork shoulder for 12 hours. I want fresh ingredients and if I must reach for something canned or boxed, I limit it to very specific items that are least processed. I don’t really believe that convenient food is all that convenient. More on that later.
I also don’t believe anyone when they say they can’t cook or my favorite, I don't cook. It’s likely that they don’t want to, don’t think it’s all that important or truly feel they don't have the time. But, other hoping for a healthy, prosperous, and peaceful life, what is more important than what we put in our bodies?
Sure, there is value to that boxed or canned stock on the shelves, and there are a few that I would recommend, but once I learned how easy it is to make my own, there’s no reason to rely on a box. My father always says, which applies to all things, “Once you know something, you can’t ‘un-know’ it”. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well it is. And I say to take it a step further and decide that if you can make it yourself, not only should you do it, but you should want to.
Get a little crazy. Make it from scratch.
