It happened. I'm surprised that I evaded it this long. Time and time again, I have been regaled with others' horror stories. And my own experience lived up to the grave descriptions.
About a week ago I had the misfortune of contracting food poisoning. And it was everything I'd heard it could be. But rather than get into the details, I'd like to share some of my positive explorations in food. Of which I hope to one day feel safe to partake again soon, ha.
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| roasting veggies |
As an artist, it's par for the course for me to find ways to elevate other aspects of life with a creative touch. One of the ways I enjoy being creative is cooking. I'm no chef. I'm not even the type who cooks every day. But when a craving (or a special occasion) calls me, I grab a recipe and get busy. I'm mostly a recipe cook. I can follow directions, measure, and mix with a decent level of accuracy.
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| shrimp and grits |
While there are dishes I cook without a recipe, having directions to follow lends a sense of organization for me. I prepare a pretty good shrimp pasta with lemon butter sauce by eyeballing the measurements and by taste. But I need a recipe to make shrimp and grits. I get the same reassurance when I practice "
mise en place" in the kitchen, which, to my understanding, means to organize all ingredients and tools prior to cooking, then to clean and put away ingredients and tools as I go. So there's not a huge mess waiting for me after the cooking is complete. When I try a new recipe, I attempt to follow it as it's written. If I like the recipe enough to revisit it, I usually do some adjusting for efficiency, flavor, and spice levels.
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| chocolate chip cookies |
I assume everyone who cooks has a particular strength. While I do well with entrées (if I'm not distracted), I gravitate towards cakes, pastries, breads, pies, and cookies. My repertoire includes unusual things like funnel cake, fortune cookies, and beignets. I like the challenge of making a roll cake, but macaroons still intimidate me. When I have the time (and the intestinal fortitude, ha), I collect ingredients and try new things. When I find a new recipe I like, I add it to a recipe book I've been compiling for years for my own reference. My most beloved and requested recipes come from just about every source. Family, friends, recipe books, social media, and the internet have all been bountiful resources.
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a favorite breakfast:
a chicken biscuit |
For example, I've been searching for a great biscuit recipe for years. I've collected several good ones from internet searches and trial and error. A while back I found a pancake recipe that has outpaced my grandmother's recipe (sorry Nana!) and become a regular in my rotation. I'm not vegan. I'm not even vegetarian. But because of an egg allergy, I've had a specific mission to find recipes that are alternatives to traditional egg-based dishes. The pancake recipe I now use is one of those lovely egg-free creations that could easily be mistaken for a traditional mixture. I know because I've tried both (at the dismay of my stomach).
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| homemade mango puree and pancakes, lasagna, a pocket sandwich |
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| a mini watermelon cake |
While I enjoy cooking and baking, not all of my experiments are a success. Much like my artwork, there's often trial and error. Techniques work beautifully sometimes and flop other times. The thing that keeps me going back (to both the kitchen and the studio) is hunger, lol. A hunger to create and share (and, of course, to eat). To enjoy the creative process, the end result, the sharing, and the gratitude of those who enjoy what I create. And that all feeds my soul.
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the culprit: a humble tuna quesadilla.
the tuna turned out to be sketchy |
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