This is a quotation from Emeril on Emeril's Table. Cooking is an art meant to be shared in groups. Friends, family and even people you barely know all benefit from improving this skill.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Seeing the glass as half full, not half empty
I was just reading about Victoria Beckham's life. She is a 37-year-old mom of four who is also a very successful model, dress designer and fashion enthusiast. The article basically stated that she admitted to being very, very tired. She is up in the night with her 7-month old baby Harper as well as up in the night to take international calls about her fashion line. She stated she is very happy with her life despite her exhaustion.
I can relate with her. It is incredibly rewarding to feel like you are part of the world; and a big part of the world is the work world. For her, it is worth the exhaustion that she feels to have all of those rewarding parts of her life fit together.
I first took note of Victoria Beckham when she was pictured as a guest at William and Kate's wedding last April. I had heard of her before but not really noticed her until I realized her baby was due within days of mine. (In fact, I think we had the same due date.) As the wife of soccer-great David Beckham, she lacks no spotlight and could very easily get by without any career at all- I'm sure David brings in a hefty check to support their four kids. But no, she has decided to make way in the world on her own. She has her own career, her own income and her own claim to fame. And for that I give her applause. She is living all aspects of her life to the fullest and, despite her exhaustion, is feeling very rewarded.
I am struggling with my own lot in life at the moment. I have chosen a home life for the first year of my baby's life. I say "chosen" because it was a decision that made sense when I got pregnant. It was more of a sequence of events that led my income to be eclipsed by my husband's. If anyone's income weren't to be missed it would be mine. So it made sense for me to forego a few career committments to take time for our baby. And I'm not sorry. But I do have pangs of longing when I see articles like the one about Victoria Beckham. There are women out there who do it all. And it is very rewarding. Perhaps next fall I'll get a chance to rejoin them in the workplace.
I can relate with her. It is incredibly rewarding to feel like you are part of the world; and a big part of the world is the work world. For her, it is worth the exhaustion that she feels to have all of those rewarding parts of her life fit together.
I first took note of Victoria Beckham when she was pictured as a guest at William and Kate's wedding last April. I had heard of her before but not really noticed her until I realized her baby was due within days of mine. (In fact, I think we had the same due date.) As the wife of soccer-great David Beckham, she lacks no spotlight and could very easily get by without any career at all- I'm sure David brings in a hefty check to support their four kids. But no, she has decided to make way in the world on her own. She has her own career, her own income and her own claim to fame. And for that I give her applause. She is living all aspects of her life to the fullest and, despite her exhaustion, is feeling very rewarded.
I am struggling with my own lot in life at the moment. I have chosen a home life for the first year of my baby's life. I say "chosen" because it was a decision that made sense when I got pregnant. It was more of a sequence of events that led my income to be eclipsed by my husband's. If anyone's income weren't to be missed it would be mine. So it made sense for me to forego a few career committments to take time for our baby. And I'm not sorry. But I do have pangs of longing when I see articles like the one about Victoria Beckham. There are women out there who do it all. And it is very rewarding. Perhaps next fall I'll get a chance to rejoin them in the workplace.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
sprucing up the easiest meal
The crock pot is the greatest invention. Throw in a pot roast or a whole chicken with a little water or broth, add some vegetables and you have a complete meal with very little effort. It is this type of cooking that made me interested in doing more with it. I now want flavor AND convenience in one.
Lucinda Scala Quinn (Mad Hungry) has provided me with solutions. For example, marinade your pot roast in soy sauce with a bit of ginger (1 hour minimum), sear it with a skillet and then add it to the crock pot with a can of beer. It is full of flavor, DELICIOUS! This really isn't much more effort than just putting it straight into the crock pot without the first two steps.
A bit more effort is required for her whole chicken recipe. She dressed it in a herb/butter sauce by smothering it under the skin and then tucking lemons in the inside, under the wings and in other crooks/cranies around the chicken. She also placed whole garlic cloves in the interior.
Cooking seems to be a skill learned in phases. I'm now in the phase where the simple/easy recipes bore me. I need more flavor and more sophistication.
Lucinda Scala Quinn (Mad Hungry) has provided me with solutions. For example, marinade your pot roast in soy sauce with a bit of ginger (1 hour minimum), sear it with a skillet and then add it to the crock pot with a can of beer. It is full of flavor, DELICIOUS! This really isn't much more effort than just putting it straight into the crock pot without the first two steps.
A bit more effort is required for her whole chicken recipe. She dressed it in a herb/butter sauce by smothering it under the skin and then tucking lemons in the inside, under the wings and in other crooks/cranies around the chicken. She also placed whole garlic cloves in the interior.
Cooking seems to be a skill learned in phases. I'm now in the phase where the simple/easy recipes bore me. I need more flavor and more sophistication.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Cooking
My favorite activity while I'm home is watching Lucinda Scala Quinn on Mad Hungry. I'm sitting here watching her make minestrone soup right now. Her theme is "Bring back the family meal." I can't tell you how much she has improved the family meals at our house! The quality is not the only thing that has improved: she has enhanced my joy of cooking. Cooking is so much more of an art than it was before for me. I've always liked it. Now I love it.
Lucinda Scala Quinn teaches me about teaching. She has the perfect combination of personality, knowledge , humor and fun to make her show informative and entertaining at the same time.
So much of being a mom is so mundane: washing, cleaning, feeding.....it is so nice to find something artistic in the mundane everyday tasks.
Lucinda Scala Quinn teaches me about teaching. She has the perfect combination of personality, knowledge , humor and fun to make her show informative and entertaining at the same time.
So much of being a mom is so mundane: washing, cleaning, feeding.....it is so nice to find something artistic in the mundane everyday tasks.
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