The Food Dude
It's no big secret that I love to cook. LOVE. To. Cook. And I'm often asked a few questions that I'd like to answer today.
1. Where did you learn to cook?
My mom was an amazing cook. A grand majority of my memories of Mom are centered around the kitchen, after all she raised 8 children and that's a whole lotta mouths to feed! And even before I started kindergarten I remember mom letting me help her with certain things in the kitchen like making the hash marks on the peanut butter cookies with a fork. When I was in elementary school Mom was the cook in the school cafeteria (back when they actually cooked all the food right there in the school) and when I was in high school she cooked at a diner and also cooked banquets at a country club. Needless to say, she exposed me to a lot of different facets of cooking as I grew up. I'm grateful on a daily basis for the little tricks she taught me that help me to cook amazing meals time after time.
2. Do you follow recipes?
Yes, I go to recipes for inspiration sometimes following them to the letter if it's a concoction that I'm unfamiliar with; sometimes I use the recipe as a "guideline" and make it more to my taste; and sometimes I go for it and make it all up on my own.
3. From your blog, Twitter, and Facebook posts you sound like you are extremely busy. Why/how do you find time to cook?
There are a couple of reasons that I cook. Since it is something that I love to do it is a great distraction from running my design business. I can get wrapped up in preparing the meal and it helps to alleviate a lot of the stress that may have built up during the day. It's another outlet for my creativity because I can make any changes I want to any recipe to see what happens. I have also been trying to eat as few chemicals as possible, and many store-bought, prepared, or restaurant foods have been laden with chemical fillers and preservatives. Don't get me wrong, I do eat out from time to time, but I have found that via cooking I can feel in control of the grand majority of foods that I'm ingesting and I like that feeling. I also love to have leftovers to eat for lunch the next day. It's kind of like being nostalgic about the meal I cooked the night before!
4. When are you going to put out a cookbook?
Soon I hope. I would love to!!
5. What are your favorite cookbooks?
I have three cookbooks that I find myself gravitating toward on a regular basis and here they are:
Wow, I just love this cookbook. It's not only filled with amazing recipes but also lots of information on every aspect of food. Sure, the Google Machine provides nearly everything you need to know, but there is something about having a go to cookbook that you know you can trust and learn from. Naming it The Joy of Cooking is perfect.
I loves me some hot food and this book really delivers 'hot' in a fun way. It is divided into five chapters, each chapter devoted to a different avenue to spicy! The chapters are Ginger, Mustard, Peppercorns, Horseradish, and Chilies. It has been so much fun to explore each of the chapters and learn how different spicy spices change the flavor of foods while providing variations of "heat". Fun!
I have the 10th anniversary edition, they are now up the 20th annivesary edition. This book by Frances Moore Lappe is just amazing. If you've ever thought about reducing the amount of meat that you are eating (I'm trying to think of meat as more of side dish) the tricks, hints, tips and recipes in Small Planet will make it more than easy, they make it delicious. I have been eating a lot less meat since the beginning of the year and I love how much fun the recipes in this book are.
6. Why don't you weigh eleventy-hundred pounds? Your meals sound so decadent!
I am all about small portions of rich delicious food. I am constantly amazed at how full I get on less food now that I am cooking and not buying prepared or pre-packaged foods. And, not that these results are typical, but as of last Friday I have lost 16 pounds since the beginning of the year. And the key I believe is that I have eliminated as many chemicals from my food as possible which means cooking with ingredients that I can pronounce and most likely my grandma would have been able to obtain. I also walk every day, sometimes twice (morning and night), and drink lots of purified water.
7. Will you marry me - move in with me - become my personal chef?
No.
8. What's on the menu tonight?
Potato, zucchini, and mushroom stew made with homemade vegetable broth, accompanied with saffron scented wild rice and a glass of pinot noir.
Wow, a person that is multidimensional. Love it!
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#7 seriously made me laugh out loud. The cats were not amused at me disturbing their naps.
I've had the Joy of Cooking on my wishlist for a while now. I think I might have to break down and get it as I'm trying to cook more and healthier.
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I love your post! The Crochet Dude gone Food Dude. If/when you publish that cook book, it will most certainly be proudly displayed on my kitchen shelf! Thank you for sharing.
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drew,
my husband is from india and he's been the main cook at home for the past 20 of our almost 35 years together. he even bakes bread every saturday (after i showed him how). it's great therapy for him after his 60-80 hour work week. i hated most of the cooking i had to do every day. the kids (now grown) eat his food better than mine, too, and i'm a good cook. now, i only do the desserts when we have them.
thanks for sharing your cooking expertise with us!
jd in st louis
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Oh oh oh......a cookbook with potholder patterns , towel toppers and hot pads in it.....LOVE IT!!!!!!!
My Husband bought me "the betty crocker cookbook" when we first got married and I still have it 15 years later. I refer to it often. I also love cooking with my kids too....my son and daughter love to help and I find that they are more apt to try new things or just plain eat something they have helped to make. We had a multi-family dinner a few weeks back and my girl Cassie helped me make homemade spaghetti sauce and build a MASSIVE lasagna......she was so proud when everyone raved about it lol.....my friends cats even attacked the pan to get at the cheese!
Cassie has also tried to learn to crochet and would like to ask some advice. I am a craft-a-holic...I quilt, cross stitch, sew, and now crochet.....it took me years to acquire my skills...Cassie simply sees all the wonderful things I make and expects to be good at things right off the bat....she gets incredibly frustrated when she is not good at something right off even though i explained it took mom years to build up my own skills. I don't want her to be so quick to give up new things. I know part of it is that she is a busy little 9yr old.....maybe she just needs to develop some patience.....
I just got "sweet pet comforts" from your line of book Mr. Drew maybe I'll start a pet bed and have her do some stitches from an already started part....
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My favorite reference cook books include an older version of The Joy of Cooking, Moosewood and a vintage Better Homes and Gardens...I also subscribe to Bon Appetit. I think creative people like to create, and cooking is a great creative endeavor. When you come visit, let's cook together!
xoxo
Madge
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Love the post. I think it is great your mom taught you to cook. My husband is an amazing cook, and teaching my kids to cook. They are better at it than I am! LOL thank goodness as I hate cooking.
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Drew! I love Diet for a Small Planet. The minestrone recipe is amazing and I love Betty the Peacenik's Gingerbread too. I've made more recipes from this book but those two are my all time favorites.
A great whole foods/vegetarian cookbook is Laurel's Kitchen.
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I find it interesting how many crafty people (myself included) love to cook. I consider it just another art form. Combining compatible (edible) elements in new, surprising, eye-appealing ways = the craft of cooking.
Love the idea of a cookbook combined with some kitchen-themed crochet patterns!
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It's fun getting to know you better! I need to start cooking more--you are now my cooking inspiration as well as my crafty one!
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Wow. You were very lucky to have a mom like you did. There really is no substitute for learning from a good cook, especially when you live with them and can watch and learn daily.
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Oh yes! Joy of Cooking is also my favorite, because it actually explains WHY you have to do certain things instead of just ordering you to do them. BUT. Why is it that when I open it up (and it has, what, eleventy-thousand pages in it?), it inevitably falls open to the page about how to skin a squirrel with your boot?
GROSS.
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