on food & cooking …

Another reason posting was sparse these past few months is beyond everything else going on, we remodeled the kitchen. Yes, we. E and I do almost all the work on the house. There are a few things we hire out for safety (gas lines are top of that list) and sanity (I don’t do ceilings), but most of it gets done through our own blood, sweat, and yes sometimes tears. There are still a few small items lingering on the punch list, but it is very nice to have a functioning kitchen that is suited to my cooking style and needs.

So, I did what I normally do. I started a new notebook in celebration. Since keeping a knitting notebook has brought me continued improvement and success, I finally started a notebook to record the cooking experiences and experiments and make a note of what works… and what doesn’t.

Yes, until mid-September, the one who has a notebook for everything, didn’t have one for cooking. I’m not sure why. I opted to go with a cheap composition book instead of a more expensive notebook. I print out recipes and glue them in. It’s covered in various splatters. Will it last for generations? Probably not, but that’s ok. When it’s full, I’ll scan and archive useful pages.

I used it to organize and manage thanksgiving prep. It made everything much easier not to have to flip around many different books or websites looking for what I needed. In addition to every recipe, it has pages with the grocery list, menu, and the all important order of the oven. I also made notes of things not to do in the future, such as leave the squash lasagna (modified gluten-free) uncovered and warming in the oven for two hours because guests were stuck in traffic.

I don’t post much about food because I take terrible food photos. I don’t have the patience to work on getting that perfect shot in perfect light. I cook for nourishment, not for blogging. However, instagram has taken over my camera and when I’m not taking photos of the cat or my daily coffee mug(s), chances are the photo is of dinner prep. Something has fallen into place for me with the use of the service. I’m not sure if it’s that I’m taking more photos so I’m composing better (such as when I participated in my own project 365), the square cropping, the easy-to-add filters to add grain and hide my imperfect (yet improved) lighting, or what but I’ve had a surprising amount of positive feedback on these photos.

Does the combination of the new kitchen, the new notebook, and instagram mean more posts on food? Maybe. In time I hope to offer those who need to feed a kosher, gluten-free, almost-vegan ideas and inspiration.

Here’s a teasing preview of the kitchen. Shadow approves.

(link to photo: instagram | flickr)

• Category: food, house
• Tag: kitchen remodel, notebooks