Day 108 -- rocking in the kitchen

Today was a day without work -- paid or volunteer -- the first in a very long time. It will be a while before I have another like this -- likely a month. So -- what did I do? I did laundry today because I am at work all day tomorrow with exams. I cooked a fun turnip puff for an Easter weekend dinner with friends this evening. It was a turkey based meal, but the veggies filled most of the plates. Yummy green bean dish, the turnip puff, a fantastic broccoli-cauliflower gratin, mashed potato, turkey and a homemade cranberry sauce. My puff arrived at the venue still crispy and hot and was enjoyed by all -- always pleasant to cook for others.

I love to cook. I love cookbooks. I love kitchen equipment and gadgets. Food is my life [tm] after all. I find that the academic term doesn't always allow me to try new recipes and cook for relaxation as much as I'd prefer. I do cook a few times a term and fill the deep freeze so there are wholesome, nourishing things in the freezer to help me with the evening meal when teaching, grading and meeting into the evenings. I still try new foods and recipes, but fewer and with less frequency than I have at other times of my career. So, there is a trade off with some career choices, but I am working to find the time to do the 'me' things that I love -- like cooking, reading for enjoyment rather than grading or course design, and relaxing with music or a movie. There are ways to work some of this into a few moments each day, but cooking and baking generally take a longer commitment. Making a meal can be done in 20-30 minutes -- 10-15 if nuking a frozen item that I'd cooked earlier. But trying new items and spending the day in the kitchen takes more planning. I have a number of recipes that I want to try in a file on top of the microwave. This helps me to find them quickly when supper prep arrives. Others require longer prep and cooking so need a day of their own.

Luckily I can cook without recipes and have developed a number of my own recipes over the years. Several have been published in Dietitians of Canada cookbooks and one was highlighted in Chatelaine magazine -- so it went through the test kitchens and they found it worked well <smile>. So -- in the coming weeks I plan to do more cooking. The pantry needs further spiced applesauce and chutney and the freezer could use some new and different takes on chili, gumbo and an old family casserole dish. So -- it is nearing the top of my list of fun things I get to do <smile>.

The selection for today is something that is great to play while working in the kitchen. The beat helps keep one moving and smiling. Enjoy!

It's still rock and roll to me -- Billy Joel