First Month's Topic

I spent the afternoon at the library yesterday, researching lemons.  Or trying to, anyway.  There was only one book in the entire library about lemons.  Its title:  Lemons:  Growing, Cooking, Crafting, by Kate Chynoweth and Elizabeth Woodson.  Its not very big, but it was quite informative. 

Did you know that lemons originated in India?  I had no idea.  I would have guessed the Mediterranean.  Or that the best lemons for cooking are the Eureka and the Lisbon?  Although, many people prefer the Meyer lemon, which is not strictly a lemon, but rather, a cross between the lemon and an orange, or possible a mandarin.  (The jury seems to be out on whether it was an orange or a mandarin.  Either way, I believe I want to try it.)

An internet search was much more productive. I found a lot of recipes to try, including several varieties of lemonade and a chicken-lemon rice soup that sounds delicious.

When buying lemons, one should look for heavy fruit with bright yellow color that is firm to the touch.  Although, if you plan to use the lemon zest, you should buy organic lemons, as they have not been sprayed with chemicals for bug control or covered with wax to make them shine.   If you can't get organic, then you should be sure to wash them thoroughly to remove these elements.

Adding some lemon juice to rice as it cooks will make it fluffier.  Who knew?  I will definitely be trying this one next time we have rice.  And, of course, a small wedge of lemon in a glass of ice water improves the taste immensely.

Lemons are extremely healthy.  They are packed with vitamin C, which is why they are good for colds.    They also contain antioxidants and cancer-fighting properties.  One site I looked at said that they were good protection against rheumatoid arthritis.

A sore throat remedy:

Mix 1 cup of honey with 1/4 c. of hot water and 3 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice.  Store it in a jar in the refrigerator.  Use about 1-2 tblsp. to soothe a sore throat.   I've been using this one for years.  It really does soothe the throat and tastes yummy! 

So, September will become Lemon Exploration Month in this home.  We will start with that Lemon-Rice soup I believe, and will also try keeping a bowl of lemon wedges in the fridge for use on veggies and whatnot.  See you soon, and happy experimenting!

A little history

It occurs to me that maybe you'd like to know a little about my background. Where I'm coming from experience-wise, if you will. Well...

First of all, I am the oldest of 8 children and the only girl for about 8 years. I have four brothers between me and my oldest sister. And the next important thing to know is that my mother HATED to cook. So, as you can probably guess, I got pressed into service at a young age. I knew how to follow a recipe and make cookies by myself by the time I was 8 years old. I believe I also made my first cake (a Wacky Cake) about then as well. When I was 13, my mother got really sick and was down in bed for about a month. You guessed it--I became chief cook and bottle washer from that day on.

My mom was a middle daughter who grew up on a farm. She not only hated to cook, she didn't really know how when she got married. Her mother and her older sister did all the cooking and she helped the boys on the farm. So, you can imagine the cooking tuition I got from her. Put the pan on the burner, turn it up to high, turn it down when it starts to scorch. (OK, it was probably not quite that bad, but you get the idea.)

When I was a teenager, I started scouring (and collecting) cookbooks looking for new recipes. I learned to bake pretty well. My specialty now is cheesecakes. Love 'em. Eat em. Freeze 'em so you don't eat 'em all in one sitting! But I grew up in a house of vegetable haters where Steak and Potatoes (or Macaroni and Cheese) reigned supreme. I or one of my sisters would bake a batch of cookies once or twice a week for the family to enjoy while watching TV. As you can probably guess, my hips are a leeetle bit wider than I'd like. Most of the things I know how to cook are plain, simple fare without the gourmet touches. I still like that kind of food.

But when I got divorced, about 10 years ago, I realized that I really hated figuring out what's for dinner every night. And, even more, I hated cooking for two people when one of them is a picky child. The poor thing, she's even pickier than I am, and I didn't think that was possible. And depression didn't help any either. So, as she got older and more able to do for herself, we kind of drifted into this short-order kitchen type of arrangement. She fixes what she wants for dinner and I fix what I want. Which means, unfortunately, that she eats Top Ramen and I eat cereal or a sandwich most nights. And mostly, we both eat by ourselves, whenever we happen to get hungry.

This is not good. Its time to change that. So...off we go on this adventure of eating real food and learning to enjoy cooking again. (Although my daughter doesn't know this yet...)

Oh, and for the record, my mom did become a decent cook over the years. But she never did like it.

mission statement?

Okay, I might as well admit it right off the bat. I saw Julie and Julia last weekend and was inspired. I like writing and I like cooking. and I don't really even care if no one reads this but me. Like Julie, I need a goal, a purpose, and I want to improve my skills in cooking.

Unfortunately, I would never be able to make my way through the Julia Child book, much as I'd like to give it a try. My family would NEVER eat some of the things in that book (and, I admit it, I would be hard-pressed to make myself eat some of it). It would be a waste of my time and money. However, it occurs to me that my cooking skills could use some upgrading.

For example, whenever you see a picture or a movie about a cook's kitchen, they always have this big bowl full of lemons on the counter. Why is that? I buy two lemons and one of them goes bad before I can use it. Perhaps I don't really know what to do with lemons? I hear there's hundreds of good uses, but I have no idea what they could be. This needs exploring.

Another thing, They (the cooks) always have a small pot of herbs growing in the windowsill. Now, of course I use herbs and spices in my cooking, but usually only what the recipe calls for. I never go get a pinch of oregano to "fix" the soup, if you will. And I've NEVER experimented with changing the seasonings. Another opportunity for improvement, I think. Although there's only so much bending you can do when you're a perectionist.

I've been giving this quite a bit of thought today. There are several areas of cooking that I would like to explore and learn to do better. (One of them might have to be finding the energy to get up off my lazy rear end after work and actually cook a real meal--we seem to do a lot of Top Ramen around here, if you know what I mean.)

So here's the plan: Once a month find a new area of cooking to explore and improve in. This will most likely involve lots of cookbooks and research, but that's OK, I enjoy that almost as much as the cooking. Some of the things I'm thinking about are, of course, lemons and herbs. I think I may also explore ways of adjusting recipes for wine-free cooking. I'm Mormon; I don't drink the stuff, so why would I cook with it? There must be other, just as tasty ways to enhance the flavor of a dish the way wine does without the alcohol. Garlic probably needs some exploration, too. So, that's the plan for now. Any ideas or requests, of course, will be gladly considered.

Now I need some kind of catchy closing phrase....Hmmm. Bon Apetit is pretty much the property of Julie and Julia. Good cooking? no. well, something will come up, I'm sure. Until then....