some raw thoughts of a KitchenNut
When people ask if I am a foodie, I’m not ever really sure what to say, because bottom-line, I don’t feel like one. Sure, I like food. Okay, I love it. But, my passion is really about cooking, baking, the whys and hows of a kitchen. I’ve met lots of foodies who like food, but don’t know one pan from another…mostly preferring to eat good food at good restaurants and anything that can be snagged and eaten at the local farmer’s market or local co-op. Me, I just want to be in my kitchen. I am a KitchenNut because I can tell you why you want to use a traditional pan over a non-stick (see what is fond?) and my quest that took me to learning about that, but I could never tell you the part of the world that has the best flavored shrimp. In all honesty, I wouldn’t know where to look.
I like to have conversations about the joy of eating and good food. I like the family environment. To me, great conversation and mediocre food is superior to mediocre conversation and great food. That sentence may ban me from ever being a future foodie. :) Of course, I’d much rather have great food and great conversation, but I enjoy the environment and the ability to share (er, lecture) my opinions and passions with any listening ear.
When first discovering the joys of a kitchen, I never knew that I could channel my OCD into something productive, nay, edible. Though it’s been a roller coaster, there are very few downturns in the path. I feel like my kitchen discoveries are an ever-climbing, turning route that lead to a new experience each day. I like to take a recipe, make it until it’s perfect, then ruin it. Well, not on purpose, but I like to push the envelope. My poor hubby will always ask for the “normal” recipe, not the new-and-improved recipe. It’s really a challenge for me to find new things for us to like, which we previously thought we hated.
Today’s example :: Blondies. After I had prepared the mix (mise-en-place, bien-sûr!), hubby asked why I didn’t make Brownies. I’m never sure how to answer questions like that. I simply answered because I wanted to make a Blondie. He shrugged, conversation over. A few hours later as I was returning to complete the project, I asked if he liked Blondies, only to find out that (gasp!) he didn’t! I asked why he didn’t tell me, the answer came “because when I tell you that I don’t like something, you get mad.” He had me there. Long story coming to an end…he loved them. I loved them. We ate the whole pan.
So, for me, it’s not about from where the zucchini came or how it was grown, it’s about how to take my husband and me, two non-zucchini lovers, and try 1001 dishes with zuccini until we find one we like (hint: veggie lasagna from The Best Light Recipe). Once I’ve conquered that, I move on to a new obsession, quietly (yeah, right!) trying to conquer our next idea of what we thought we didn’t like. Sometimes it’s the pan that I had used that caused it to not turn out so well. Sometimes it’s the brand of tomatoes that made the dish not so great. Until I found the brand of tomatoes we liked, I would make the same dish three times with different brands of tomatoes (hint: we like Red Gold or Red Pack, depending upon which side of the Mississippi you live). Now that I know what we like, I’ll find more fun ways to tweak it and make it a little different.
That’s they way I obsessively and compulsively live (and love!) my life as a KitchenNut. Oh, and of course, share all my adventures with y’all. :)
Those were great blondies! Looks like my next “adventure” will be zucchini. ;) Can’t wait!
I had never thought about the definition of foodie before. I know I am the type who enjoys cooking the food and watching someone else enjoy it more than I like to eat it myself.