This is what it should look like: cooking with friends

This past weekend I had the chance to hang out and catch up with a friend.  We went out for a light lunch (ha!) of sushi at restaurant within walking distance of her house and then made our way back to her place to continue the conversation.  When we got there she turned to me almost apologetically and said,

Do you mind if we move to the kitchen? I need to do some cooking for my lunches for next week...

Obviously, I was thrilled.  She cooked and I prepped, we chatted and swapped tips as we continued our conversation from the restaurant.  She only had a little clean-up at the end and hand-washed what few dishes there were.  All in all, that part of the day took less than an hour.

It reminded me of an occasion when I visited some friends for a shapenote singing in their home.  I arrived a little early with chicken in hand and helped out in the kitchen.  There was a simple choreography to the rise and fall of the cooking with the conversation.  It felt peaceful and right.

Looking back, I guess what really took me aback was how easily and simply cooking can be incorporated into life.  It doesn't take long to make it a part of your routine.  Having friends who echo and mirror that same simple consideration only help to reinforce good habits.  Kitchens have historically been the center of the home, a place for easy conversation, a place to connect and reconnect with your dear ones.  And the simple intimacy of preparing a dish together is a powerful way to say "I love you."

Credits
Image: Kuchenmaistrey aWikimedia Commons  image in the Public Domain (Augsburg 1505)

Reckoning #5

So...how did the menu plan work out this week?  Let's take a look...

	Breakfast	Lunch (Snacks)	Dinner
Monday	coffee, leftover lasagna	caramel rice cakes, potato chips, apple, banana, peanut butter, carrots, snow peas, tea	Butternut Squash and Pasta w/Sage (Milk to drink)
Tuesday	coffee, leftover Squash/pasta	caramel rice cakes, potato chips, apple, banana, peanut butter, carrots, snow peas, tea	leftover butternut squash pasta, milk
Wednesday	coffee, perfect oatmeal, banana and PB	apple and PB, carrots, peas, leftover lasagna, tea	leftover butternut squash pasta, milk
Thursday	coffee, perfect oatmeal	Leftover Lasagna, apple and PB, carrots, tea	Bacon Chicken, Banana "ice cream" with caramel/PB sauce
Friday	coffee, perfect oatmeal	Leftover Bacon Chicken (+freebie meeting food, took the rest of lunch home)	Dinner out w/a friend!

Recipes and notes for this week after the jump...

This is what it should look like: Pantry

Everyone and their mom has something to say about pantries.  Pantries can be as simple or complex as you want them to be and when you are first starting to get involved with cooking, the idea of a pantry can seem very overwhelming.  This is not good because when you first start cooking, your pantry is likely very small and so cooking seems very overwhelming.  It is exhausting realizing that each recipe calls for an ingredient you don't yet own and trying to figure out what you can do away with and still cook is enough to make you want to give up entirely.  Don't!  A healthy well-stocked pantry will be a joy to behold!  Treat your pantry well and it will love you in return:

Basic Pantry Planning after the jump...

Gordon Ramsay explains it all

Gordon Ramsay is one of my favorite chefs to watch. Part of that is because of market saturation, I'm sure; but, it is also because he has such respect for basic food.  It doesn't matter if he's cooking the most intricate and delicate gourmet meal, or something like the video above.  He makes all dishes seem like the most natural things in the world.  I've made this for friends and family, and all have thoroughly enjoyed it.  If you find a deal on fish with skin still on, I suggest some variation of the above.

Reckoning #4

So...how did the menu plan work out this week?  Let's take a look...

	Breakfast	Lunch (Snacks)	Dinner
Monday	coffee, leftover rice	rich tea biscuits, carrots, peas, apple, cheese stick	Treated by a friend!
Tuesday	coffee/lemon pound cake *	Ratatouille and leftover kimchee fried rice	chicken breast with mirepoix and wine gravy
Wednesday	coffee/tea/pumpkin scone *	leftover chicken with peas and carrots	split chicken finger app. w/a friend post-concert*
Thursday	Focaccia and Coffee	rich tea biscuits & cheese, sliced zucchini & squash	Fried Rice w/peppers and carrots
Friday	Hot rice cereal, coffee	Rice and Mango, Cheese Sticks and biscuits, apple, tea	Rice and Mango and then a Party!

*Another fail this week -- I had a singing gig 1-hour north of where I live.  Sadness, I stopped at Starbucks a few times this week...

Recipes and notes for this week after the jump...

Grocery Shopping 2

Because of the Great Chicken Bonanza of Twenty-Ten, the budget for this go-around was reduced to $52.44 for 2 weeks worth of food...let's see how it went:

Ideas for cooking Frugal Food

I recently read a nice resource post on the Moneyning blog: 12 Super Cheap, Super Nutritious Foods You Should Be Eating

And yes, for people who like eating cheaply but also well, these are great foods.  But too often, we read lists like these and wonder how we should incorporate these dishes.  Wonder no more!  I am posting the 12 super cheap healthy foods and recipes you can use with each in a lovely recipe dump after the fold...


Also -- a challenge to myself.  The next time I go grocery shopping, I will endeavor to find these ingredients and meal plan around them. Updates forthcoming.