This is pretty much my favorite spot in our house.
Oh, I love the feeling of our bed when Danny and I can finally fall into it together, dead tired from working and running after Lu all day. I love the sound of Lu's giggles bouncing off the walls of the bathtub. I love the smell of hot coffee curling around the corner from the kitchen to our bedroom. And these last few warm, sunny days, my favorite spot is not in the house, but outside in the garden, with Lu, blowing dandelions.
(I taught her how to pull weeds today. She bent down her head and pulled as well as she could for 15 minutes. This could really come in handy!)
Still, my favorite spot in the house is this one — standing in front of the bay window, in the kitchen.
Cooking is about to happen here.
This past week, the cooking all came from Jamie's Food Revolution
. What a week of cooking and eating it was!
You must have heard about Jamie Oliver by now. I've been talking about him here for years. And in the last few weeks, so has much of America.
His television show, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, has been a must-see in our home. Luckily, Danny has Friday nights off from work, so we can cuddle on the couch to watch the show trying to change the way people eat in this country. We spend much of the hour with our mouths open, sort of horrified, mostly determined to do what we can to help.
It's interesting. There has been a lot of talk about this show. Many of us love what Jamie is trying to do. Some just can't stand it. That's part of the process, of course. You can't please everyone. But the reaction that befuddles me is this: "It's such a reality show." Well yes, it is. There's music in all the pre-appointed places and dramatic moments that are hyped up for tension and extreme close-ups. Jamie himself seems entirely genuine. The production values make the show look like an episode of Extreme Makeover. Some people seem disdainful that this important information is being presented in this fashion.
Here's the deal. Reality shows? They're hugely popular in this country. I'm not a big fan, but I know many people who are. We've been having important, polite conversations about the need to improve school lunches on PBS shows and New York Times articles for decades. Alice Waters has been leading a quiet revolution in Berkeley, as have Ann Cooper and Kristen Richmond. People who are passionate about food have known for awhile that something needs to be done about school lunches.
In the past month, with this brazen splashy show on ABC, I have heard more conversations about food in schools than I have in decades. People are talking. That's really the only point. The conversation now includes the people who like to watch a lot of reality shows. Frankly, these are the people who need to be part of this conversation.
Look at this from The New York Times:
"Americans eat 31 percent more packaged food than fresh food, and they consume more packaged food per person than their counterparts in nearly all other countries. A sizable part of the American diet is ready-to-eat meals, like frozen pizzas and microwave dinners, and sweet or salty snack foods."
I keep thinking about this commercial that played a few months ago, emphasizing family togetherness in the kitchen. A mom and her daughter laugh over the kitchen counter, talking about their days...as they open a big lasagna tv dinner and pop it in the microwave.
It just seems to me that all Jamie Oliver is trying to do is persuade people to start cooking in their kitchens.
I used to open tv dinners and deli containers and hot food from the grocery store across the street. The year after the terrible car accident I had, my body hurt too much to stand at the stove and cook. I never felt that confident in the kitchen anyway, so it didn't occur to me that cooking could make me feel better. I ate what was convenient, what was available, what was easy. I ate to just get food in my body or for the pure sensory pleasure of the taste. The skin on that deli chicken slid off fast, salty and greasy, and kept my mouth occupied for awhile. I spent months without seasoning my own food.
I was miserable. And it wasn't just the pain. I felt disconnected from my food, something that had always given me joy. Chopping onions and listening to the sizzle of them in hot oil in the pan seemed so far away. It all just seemed too hard.
People don't have to be in pain to be afraid of cooking. It seems like foreign language, tongues tumbling with unusual sounds. Cooking can be scary: fire could burst out of the skillet as you throw it in the oven, mushroom stock could spill all over the floor, the dinner you spent 45 minutes making could turn out mediocre bland.
But what I love about Jamie Oliver, in his show but particularly in this cookbook, is that he's filled with enthusiasm for food and an unquenchable optimism that keeps him going into people's homes and new countries to change people's minds. He wants people to stand at the stove and feel good.
It's not much, really. And it's huge.
Jamie has done this before, you know. He tackled school lunches in Great Britain, opened cooking stores, taught people how to make Moroccan lamb with yogurt sauce, then asked them to pass it on to someone they knew. He received some of the same flak there that he's getting here. He just kept going.
This particular cookbook is made up of quick-to-prepare, affordable meals. Sweet potato and chorizo soup. Cauliflower cheese casserole. Ground beef wellington. Tomato soup. This is hearty comfort food and simple salads, basic stews and fast stir frys. This is not just an assemblage of favorite recipes. Instead, these are dishes that are meant to teach: how to sauté, how to blend flavors, how to build a salad out of good ingredients.
And teach they did. Interspersed through the recipes are shots of British folks proudly holding plates of salmon or bowls of vegetable curry they made themselves, from scratch. Every one of them looks so damned happy.
Here's a quote from a bloke called Simon Atkinson:
"At the age of thirty-six I had never cooked a thing, not even mashed potatoes. And the only fish I'd eaten was in batter. When I was passed on the recipe for fish pie, I cooked it and tasted it and there were all these flavors going on and I thought, 'Wow, I like this.' I now feel like my taste buds have been missing out big time."
I swear, the idea of this makes me a little teary. What a gift it is to teach someone to cook. If you know how to cook, you start buying better ingredients. If you buy better ingredients, you might start growing them or going to the farmers' market to buy them. If you do that, you might start making yogurt at home or canning up jam. How much a life can be transformed by standing at the stove and feeling confident.
This book could teach anyone to cook. I'm convinced of it.
If you cook every day, you might think, therefore, that the book would be a little elementary for you. You might buy it to hand over to someone else.
Keep this book.
Danny and I loved every single dish we made from here. The salmon stir fry took us 15 minutes to make. The flavors of garlic, chile, ginger, fresh cilantro, tandoori paste, snow peas, and coconut milk were a revelation. Neither one of us had ever thought of that combination with salmon. We're making it for dinner again this week.
That's the thing. Jamie Oliver may be a celebrity now, but he is first and foremost an incredible chef. When I first grew besotted with Jamie Oliver's cooking shows, I thought he was just a tv chef. A charismatic and darling one, but still a television chef. When I first introduced him to Danny, I thought he would scoff. Instead, he leaned forward and watched, fascinated, then went to the kitchen to try some new tricks.
That's the joy for me, reading this book — knowing that anyone who stands in front of the stove for the first time will be eating really, really well. And then, hopefully, passing it along to the next person.
I hope, one day, that we become a culture of cooking again. There's nothing like standing in that space, the light coming through the window, and knowing the magic is just about to begin.
Jamie Oliver doesn't want anyone to miss this.
We're giving away a copy of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution to one of you reading. Tell us a story of how you learned to cook. Or, tell us a story of teaching someone else to cook. Maybe you could even start this week.
And if you haven't done it yet, you might want to go over and sign this petition. It could make a difference.
Fruit Scones, adapted from Jamie's Food Revolution
Scones. Need I say more?
1 cup dried cherries (or a mix of any dried fruits you like, which make these new each time)
8 ounces/227 grams superfine brown rice flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 ounces/170 grams potato starch (a little less than a cup)
4 ounces/113 grams tapioca flour (a little less than a cup)
2 ounces/57 grams teff flour (about 1/2 a cup)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon guar gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, just out of the refrigerator, cut into small cubes
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk (some for recipe, some for brushing the tops)
Preparing to bake. Preheat the oven to 400°. Pull out a sheet tray and put a Silpat (or piece of parchment paper) on top of it. Soak the dried cherries with just enough water to cover them.
(Jamie's original recipe called for orange juice, which I'm sure would be delicious. However, Lu doesn't seem to do well with citrus, so I just used water.)
Combining the dry ingredients. Put the brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, and teff flour into a food processor. Run the processor for a few moments, to combine them together well and aerate the flours. (If you don't have a food processor, use a whisk or sifter.) Add the xanthan gum, guar gum, baking powder, and salt. Pulse them all together.
Working in the butter. Drop the butter cubes into the food processor. Pulse until the butter starts to work into the dough, about 7 0r 8 times. The final mixture should look like cornmeal with little clumps of butter.
Finishing the dough. Pour the buttery flour mixture into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Beat the eggs and milk together in another bowl. Drain the cherries, then add them to the eggy mixture. Pour this liquid mixture into the well of flours. Stir everything together with a fork or rubber spatula. (Toward the end, you'll probably use your hands.) When the dough is soft and fully combined, stop. However, you might need a bit more milk, depending on your dough.
Making the scones. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1 inch. These don't rise that much, so roll them out as thick as you want to eat them. Cut 10 circles from the dough with a biscuit cutter or a water glass. You might have to cut circles, then re-roll out the dough and cut more.
Baking the scones. Transfer the scone dough circles to the baking sheet. Brush the top of each with a bit of milk (or butter, if you want). Bake in the oven until the scones are browned and have a thump at the bottom, about 12 to 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool.
Of course, the proper British way to eat these is with jam and clotted cream. We had butter and honey. Later, I even made a cheese sandwich with one. But I'm weird. You'll know your own best way.
Makes 10 scones.
298 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 298 of 298In college, there were 6 of us living in a house together. Every Friday night we would have family time where we all gathered together to cook dinner. Anyone who didn't help with cooking cleaned up. We didn't always make the best food, but certainly the best memories. The evening lasted late with games and talking and movies, but it all started with a meal made together with laughing and good friends.
I learned initially how to bake when I was young. My grandma lived just down the street and she would bake every Saturday morning. Sometimes it was bread rolls, sometimes it was cinnamon rolls. Whatever she baked she would give me a small portion of whatever it was and I would create the small bite sized portion. Because of this experience I have always loved to bake.
My mother taught me what eating healthy was, but never really taught me how to cook. It actually wasnt until I got married that my husband lead the way. Turns out, I am a better cook than him, but we now share an additional passion.
My mother always said whenever she cooked "What? I am experimenting!" I love that attitude and have carried it forward. I love to experiment in the kitchen now. Sometimes I fail, but sometimes you discover the most unbelievable joy from it...and tasty new recipe. Ive just discovered Jamie recently, but I'm already in love. :)
I started helping my mom bake when I was just a wee thing, too young to remember my age :-) But when I learned how to make main dishes that was a really Big Deal. My mom bought me a little blank book that was probably sold to be a journal. It even had a little latch, which I thought was Very Special. And each time she taught me a new main dish I would write down the recipe (she cooked without them, so I would figure out the recipe based on what we were doing together). I remember the first thing was lasagna. I felt so Grown Up once I could make main courses! By the time we were each in high school (but maybe earlier?) my brother and I were each responsible for making dinner at least one night a week. What a gift from my mom!
You know, frustrating as it may be to all those who have come before him (I watched Ruth Reichl, Michael Ruhlman, and Molly O'Neil, among others, discuss the state of our children's eating habits several years ago at a writer's conference), Jamie's ability to put this conversation front-and-center in our public consciousness really is just what has been needed. Unfortunately, sometimes you just need to splash something all over prime time TV in order to make it register . . .
I don't remember exactly how I learned to cook. I just know that, growing up in my parent's hippie, all-natural household, NOT cooking wasn't an option, since most processed, packaged foods were off-limits. These days, however, I have been taking such joy in teaching my two young sons to cook and bake with me. I think every day about how lucky they are to grow up in a family that puts such a high value on good food and its preparation and provenance. And it makes me want to laugh/cry every time we're at the grocery store and they get excited about all the options in the produce department, while not even noticing most of the stuff in the center aisles that we skip right over. (And thinking that the Kool-Aid is "a whole section of dyes!") You know, now that I think about it, I don't know that I ever want them to realize how special and uncommon their food upbringing has been. I don't want this lifestyle to be something that sets them apart. I want it to be the New Normal.
Go Jamie, go!
Trust you to begin with the image of a window. Thank you for opening an important one for me.
Learning to cook: a long story, but lots to do with my dad, who threw lavish Japanese food dinner parties for his friends and colleagues. Then the absence of cooking: lots of eating out in the wake of his untimely death, when I was 10. Returned to cooking after that.
My mom taught me to cook, even though I mostly watched her cook and didn't really participate. It always made me laugh that I could have a full conversation with someone about how to cook the most tender, delicious brisket, but that I had never cooked one myself. When I moved out on my own I found myself cooking my mom's recipes over and over again, especially for Shabbat (Friday night) dinner: Chicken soup, roasted chicken, rice pilaf, roasted potatoes, potato kugel, & roasted veggies. Apple crisp! Lots and lots of apple crisp. Cooking my mom's recipes feels like home, and makes me feel close to her, especially when I live on the other side of the world.
Now that I live in Jerusalem, I find myself fascinated by the spices of Middle-Eastern cooking - I wander the streets of Jerusalem's shuk in awe, and I've lived here for 4 years. The other day I saw an older lady pulling leaves off a vine that trailed over walking path, and because not too long ago I saw two older men doing the same thing, I asked her what she was doing. I thought they were picking leaves to smoke, but no; she was picking grape leaves to make "memulaim" - stuffed grape leaves.
We learn something new every day!
Great post, thank you.
My Dad is a chef. He not only taught me to cook, but to respect food and find joy in it. I remember standing next to him in the kitchen as an nine year old, learning to cook Spaghetti Bolognese from scratch by watching him and asking questions. Turning unfamiliar words over in my mouth - marjoram, thyme. Savouring the smell of onions and garlic on my small fingers. A week later, I cooked Spaghetti Bolognese for my family. I was so proud, and I could tell Dad was proud of me. Not because I cooked the world's greatest Bolognese, or even because I cooked at all, but because I'd wanted to learn.
That window of yours looks wonderful - I think I would just stand and dream if it was in my kitchen. I'm a huge Jamie fan, I'm amazed that he keeps going when so many people are so hard on him. His new series Jamies Does... is on over here at the moment. Last week he was in Morocco and tonight he's in Andalucia, it's great. I'm really looking forward to seeing Food Revolution when it airs here.
Okay, not a story about cooking, but about juicing and eating for health - my son, Cheyne, who is 16 went with me to buy our first juicer the other day. How excited he was! I wasn't quite expecting this reaction from him. So we go to the grocery immediately after (our farmer's market is JUST beginning to get a few veggies in) and Cheyne is literally running around the organic produce section filling our cart with options for fresh juice. When we arrived home, HE was the one who opened the juicer, put it together, and juiced the first few fruits and vegetables. This kind of excitement about healthy eating is what's needed in America - get the kids involved in choosing foods, preparing foods, and cooking meals and I think we'll see some progress! Thanks for everything you do Shauna!!
My story is simple, and I'm sure quite common to you and your readers. Before learning I had Celiac, my "cooking" was primarily buying things to which you added water. Or maybe packets that gave you the impression you were cooking but you were really just the muscle in the job, not at all the creator. So Celiac changed all of that for the better and I truly enjoy the depth of awareness of what I'm eating and creating. So Celiac taught me. And now, I'm trying to teach my 7 year-old the same. It's not as easy for a child to transition from eating gluten to an awareness diet, but I see the depth of his character developing through the process.
When I was just a baby my mother would put me in my car-seat on the kitchen counter and I would just watch her cook. So you see, cooking was instilled in me before I could walk, talk, or crawl. Then, as I grew up my mother taught me how to follow a recipe and all the tips and tricks of the kitchen. Which has created such an appreciation and love for cooking in my soul that I want to do it for my profession one day! My dream is to become a pastry chef! Although I feel a little perplexed because I just found out I need to stay away from wheat and sugar for health reasons ahhhh!!! Thanks for your helpful blog!
I grew up helping my mother cook. NEither of us are fancy cooks, but we know how to feed our families, and how to feed them well. My husband grew up in a divorced family with a mother who cooked out of packages and didn't ask them to help in the kitchen. I asked him a few months ago to start the Christmas ham bone boiling - "Just follow the recipe, babe!" - and he was so surprised and proud when it turned out fabulously. I would love to continue to help him learn, and maybe Jamie Oliver would be good for him...and us!
I was lucky, my mom always cooked, so homemade food was the standard - but she didn't teach us to cook really. She usually shooed us out of the kitchen (except for washing up!). When I moved out, I bought myself a Moosewood cookbook and started cooking from it. That I was "brave" enough to cook that way though, was probably because cooking was something that I figured everyone should be able to do. You just follow the instructions (granted I needed a dictionary to understand some of the cooking terms at first! That was sort of funny!).
I did not realize it at the time, but I learned so much about cooking from my mother growing up. We didn't have a large income and cooked a lot from scratch because it was cheap. I have always been interested by food, and would watch my mother in the kitchen a lot. I'd ask her questions sometimes and when I was in the kitchen she'd look over my shoulder and give me advise. As a teenager I would get grumpy when she would make comments and suggestions about cooking tricks, but I took it all in and remembered it all.
I didn't realize how much I had learned until I went off to college and started cooking for myself and others. I was comfortable and fearless in the kitchen and surprised myself at the wonderful dishes I would concoct. I was horrified that so many people around me thought fancy cooking was making Kraft Dinner mac and cheese out of a box on the stove instead of in a single serving cup in the microwave.
I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in my third year of university, and got over morning for food I couldn't have quickly. I was eager to pull up my sleeves and play in the kitchen. I went home and thanked my mother for giving me that confidence.
I felt blessed that I had learned as much as I had, and set out actively to learn more. When I went home to visit last summer I asked my mother to teach me how to make jam. We made the most wonderful strawberry rhubarb jam and were so proud of it. It was magical. I am now taking nutrition classes to be a dietitian and am teaching my classmates how to be confident in a kitchen. How are we supposed to get clients to eat well if we aren't fearless in the the kitchen and can't lead by example? Clients will be coming in lost with a variety of dietary restrictions laid down on them. I want to be able to give them the confidence to say no worries! you don't need that stuff anyway! Look at what amazing things you can do without it in the kitchen with imagination!
I don't know that I was ever really "taught" to cook. I always watched my mom in the kitchen and when I went to college I attempted to cook things, but my solution was to ook at 425 to make things faster. That led to my sister buying me some cookbooks. Admittedly I have gotten better and more confient over the years...but my poor husband those first few years (he is a much better cook than me) I've gotten much etter at folowwing recipes, but also adapting as I go and not having a totally disgusting meal at the end.
Baking is my nemesis at times. The one thing I learned with baking is be exact, when I would try to wing things like chefs on TV. thats when I would get myself in trouble. My DD can't have gluten (well she can have it once every 4 days so we ust pretend like she can't have it) and gluten free baking has def been much more of a challenge for me. I was so happy when I found your website!!
My greatest moment in baking/cooking was when my mother-in-law really liked something I made and now asks for it every holiday!
I learned to cook from my incredible mother. She was an adventurous and inventive cook who cooked for the same reasons as I, she cooked out of love for those around her.
Lovely post...
I learned to cook at my mom's side. When she made homemade bread she would cut off a chunk for me and my brothers and we would all have the chance to make our very own loaf, baked in a child sized loaf pan.
My mom always let me try things on my own. It wasn't without its disasters, like the batch of popcorn that erupted into flames up to the ceiling or the cookies that I made without a recipe that my brother labelled as too rich, and they would eat almost anything.
I am grateful that my mom taught me fractions by letting me halve and double recipes and by teaching me to cook without a recipe. I still adore cookbooks and I love to get new ideas. Often they are a springboard for new creations.
Dear Shauna,
It was 1973, and I was in seventh grade. I took Home Economics. During the first week of class, we made "toll house cookies." I learned how to bake that year. We even fried our own doughnuts.
In the summer of 74, I went to sleep-away camp. There are two things I remember about the mess hall. We sang camp songs after every meal. I also remember that I fell in love with shepherd's pie there.
I never liked stew before. However, the shepherd's pie was creamy, and the meat was soft, not chewy. The mashed potatoes on top complemented it well.
Over the winter break, I went to visit my cousins in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Doris, who is now in her eighties, is my father's first cousin. She lived in the same house all her life. She and her husband, Dick, bought it from her parents. It was a splendid house with four equal-sized floors and two staircases. It smelled of love, the love that good cooking emits throughout the home.
When Doris asked me what I wanted to learn how cook, I replied, "Sherpherd's pie." Doris poured through her magazines, and she found it. She found the genuine recipe for shepherd's pie, made with lamb.
We made it together, in her newly remodeled kitchen that she designed herself. It was a state-of-the-art kitchen for 1974. It was beautiful and blue. It had large lazy-Susans built into the lower cabinets, which held the pots and pans. This kitchen also had charm. The back staircase was located off the kitchen, and there was a dumbwaiter to the basement. The kitchen window overlooked her garden where she proudly worked every spring and summer. There was also a separate garage that shared a driveway with the next-door neighbors.
Once I made shepherd's pie with Doris, I realized that I could make anything that I wanted to make. I realized how much I could learn from researching recipes and pouring over cookbooks.
Doris always said, "I will live in Brooklyn until the day I die." However, Doris and Dick sold the house to a hasidic Jewish family with ten kids. Their three children and all their grandchildren were all living in New Jersey, so they moved. When one of my second cousins went back to visit the house on 992 East 8th Street between I and J, the family gave them a tour.
I heard that nothing changed. They had all the same wallpaper and all the same carpeting. The charming blue state-of-the-art seventies kitchen was exactly as they remembered it. And if this new family is making shepherd's pie in their kitchen, you can count on this. They are not cooking it with butter because of the kosher laws of no milk with meat.
When you cook with love, it doesn't matter if you don't use dairy in a meat recipe or if you don't cook with gluten. Love will find a way to make that recipe perfect.
Take care,
Shoshannah
When I was young my parents cooked every night with my sister and I. I learned through watching and helping them. They always included my sister and I in the kitchen even on the days when were not at all helpful. When I was around 12 my dad began to travel for work and my mother went back to school so I was put in charge of dinners. After a few weeks of rotating between baked potatoes, salads, and tacos, I began to experiment and expand my cooking repertoire...and loved it. I've been in the kitchen since then.
I learned to cook from multiple sources, my mother and cookbooks. My mom cooked a lot while we were growing up, and when I was in high school my friend's mom was a fabulous cook. I saw everyone's reaction to her home cooked meals and determined that I wanted to be able to do that. I bought cook books and went to cooking classes in college, learning how to make a fabulous chicken parmigiana and creme brulee. I'm still always on the look out for new recipes and ingredients to try.
I started cooking with my dad and my two older sisters when I was seven years old. I gradually moved from salad maker to the stove. By the time I was in junior high school I was taking a turn at cooking the main dish at least once a week. I had basic cooking and baking skills well in hand when I married into an Italian family, and well, you can just imagine the influence! My mother-in-law is awesome in the kitchen, and I am forever grateful for all she taught me. I love to cook, and to feed people. And I love what Jamie Oliver is doing. I just caught the show for the first time last Friday - more power to him!
I learned how to bake at an early age, but I never really learned how to cook. People always told me they were the same thing, but I never felt that way. For me baking was a science, and cooking was an art. Not finding myself as very creative, I never felt comfortable when cooking. When I moved in with my husband I felt that I should start cooking. There were some spectacular disasters, but there was a lot of good too.
After the celiac diagnosis and this pregnancy, I lost all will to cook. I couldn't seem to find recipes that both the hubs would be excited to eat, and that would be safe for me. The thing I like about Jamie's food is that he uses basic ingredients so they are easy to adapt. I forgot how much I liked to cook until this show came on. I am saving my pennies to buy the book, but I would love to win one too!
I loved hovering over my mom while she cooked dinner. After work and school it was the only time we had to catch up. Once I moved out, I missed that time. I started exploring cooking on my own, growing more in love with farmers markets and unprocessed foods. It feels good to be able to share what I have learned with my family. Now that I'm older, I'll come home for dinner, drink wine, and cook with her. We swap recipes and laugh about mistakes. I love her.
My mom. Basically, ever since I can remember, us children have helped her in the kitchen. It started with things like cookies and then to days when we wanted to prepare the entire meal by ourselves. We'd get together with cousins and make supper for the whole family. I even had a friend in highschool whom I used to do sleepovers with. At the sleepovers, we cooked the meals.
Alas, I got the "You may not eat dairy or gluten" surprise not that long ago. Cooking has been a little "bland" around here, but I'll start experimenting soon.
I taught myself to cook at 19 when I was a new mother with basically no skills. The kichen is now my favorite place and one of my greatest joys was teaching my daughter to cook. She is an excellent cook and fears no food or recipe - this is something I am so proud of. I am a vegetarian and gluten-free, if you think there are enough recipes in Jamie's book, I would love to have it. I too get teary when I watch his show.
I'm sort of learning to cook now, sure I could whip up easy home made tacos or enchiladas using processed stuff...but I'm now making things that I never had much of an interest in (isn't that what restaurants are for?) like salmon cakes (GF) and veggie casseroles...and even chicken marsala! simple, but good and easy (and healthy)!
When I was about thirteen, I asked my mom if I could make dinner once a week. I made casseroles and clafoutis and soups and once even a fish fry! I really loved getting a chance to feed my family.
Later, in high school, I had a boyfriend who was generally not the greatest guy, but we loved to cook together and he definitely opened my eyes to a lot of new recipes and techniques. A lot of times he and I would cook in the kitchen with my family, and it was really neat.
I went vegan when I started college and I have a big preference for organic, local ingredients whenever I can. When I'm home, my family usually eats vegan with me and it seems like I've impacted a lot of their food choices. I just got an e-mail from my mom that she's putting an organic garden in the backyard and starting to compost! I'm so excited for her.
I'm not the skilled cook. I've always cooked, but going GF and organic since being sick has pushed me to not be afraid to experiment more. I love Jamie's revolution. I am riveted at each episode. I spent my dietetic internship in the school lunch program and was a contracted RD in it, too. I have always been perplexed by the rules governing it. Yet I also know that the intentions are "good" and how difficult it can be to sway a child's food perspectives when they come from homes and a nation where "fast" is the rule, not fresh. I hope he and all of us can make the difference in bringing meal making and sharing back into focus as an integral value in our daily lives.
Teresa (waterhythms@mac.com)
I learned to cook at the hands of my father and grandmother, but somewhere between grade school and college, I lost the need, the know-how and the desire. Halfway through college, it reawakened when I got off the meal plan and I did the best I could with an electric skillet. I made my first yeast bread - focaccia - in my first apartment. My roommate thought I was a nut. Since getting married, I've cooked more than ever before, learning via the Internet and the growing collection of cookbooks on my kitchen shelves, and I'm having the time of my life.
Kate
I learned how to cook standing on a chair next to my parents in our little kitchen. As a college student, I truly appreciate the simple, quick, inexpensive, and healthy meals I can rely on single every night.
My mother taught me to cook, primarily because her own mother had not, and she & my father suffered for her lack of knowledge in those early years of marriage! She was a self-taught and awesome cook, but did not want me to struggle the same way she had with cooking. So, when I was just a toddler, she would give me scraps from whatever she was making and let me have at it. The greatest gift was that she taught me to try everything. Growing up in the mountains of East Tennessee, we dined on meals that covered old-style Southern cooking (collards, pinto beans, cornbread - still a favorite) along with more exotic fare such as Beef Wellington and Sweet & Sour Pork. My friends thought we were strange but I have remained adventurous and I still try everything new along with the old favorites.
I grew up with a grandmother who ran a restaurant and a mother who was a pastry chef, so there was no avoiding learning to cook, but I didn't enjoy it until i was an adult (in my house, i think NOT cooking was my way of rebelling. After I met my future husband, I found out the fun in cooking, how we can make it in to a date by making a complicated, delicious dinner from scratch, drinking wine, laughing the whole time, and finally sitting down to homemade pasta, or a whole fish, or something equally novel and delicious to me.
I learned to cook and love food from my father and grandfather. All the men have been the skillet holders in my family on both sides until me. Hey they got a girl, what were they going to do not eat anymore :)
I learned early on that food is love. Not in a needy, replacement for love type of a way, but that good, fresh food, cooked with love can show those around you how much you enjoy what you do and how much you are care about them, that you will take the time to nourish them mind and body.
I am saddened to hear all my friends talk about how "they don't cook" as if it's something to be proud of, as if it's a movement in women's lib. I ask what's so freeing about not being able to feed yourself? To help them start I started my own blog with easy recipes that even people "who don't cook" can make. It's not a blog likes yours by any stretch, just a mini, clueless blog.
I have always loved Jamie as well, and thanks to the food revolution we have gone through and thrown out all our processed foods, and am now researching replacements for them...lol.
My grandma taught me how to cook. I remember being very very little and watching her knead biscuit dough or letting me stir the gravy. She grew up in a time where you grew your own food, and then made everything from scratch. I try to embody this today as I'm watching my first herb garden start to grow and I'm wondering if my landlord would like it if I had a tomato garden. And now, I'm passing on how to cook to my boyfriend. When I first met him, frozen taquitos were the norm. Now he's learning how to make from scratch spaghetti sauce, and quiches. I have to say I'm quite proud.
My cooking foundations were laid with love by my mother. We were not well off as I was growing up we didn't often go to the store to buy much other than milk and fresh vegetables. We raised our own meat, fished, hunted, had chickens for eggs and planted a garden each year. We got fruit from orchards where at the end of the growing season we could rifle the rows, gleaning perfectly good fruit at a discounted price.
All of this had my mom using fresh ingredients most of the time her food always tastes so good. Certain ingredients we never used (lemons, almonds, milk) as she was allergic/intolerant but they were never missed. She taught me to use what you have and improvise, she never let a recipe tie her down. If she didn't have an ingredient she'd just use something else, sometimes changing the recipe until it was something else entirely. More often than not she wouldn't use a recipe at all and would just cook where the food led her.
Over the years my family has had to eliminate more and more foods from the table; dairy, corn, gluten, peppers, tomatoes, citrus, nuts, strawberries, autolyzed yeast... it never stops us. We manage to set a delicious, healthy table and we will ALL sit and be able to eat from every dish. Cooking is a continual learning process, you never know everything. I'm happy to say that my mother and I still learn in the kitchen together and cherish those moments as much as those from my youth.
I learned to cook with my mom and grandmother: pies, cookies, roasted chicken, breakfast stuff. Then I kept learning through high school on my own and fell in love with cooking through the many chef shows on tv. Now my six year old is learning to cook with me. Pictures fade, get lost, or forgotton. But the legacy of good cooking lives on in the lives of those we do it with.
Thank you so much for this blog and for talking about Jamie Oliver. I have loved him since before I started really cooking for myself because he makes food so approachable.
I didn't realize that I knew how to cook until I had to start doing it myself after being diagnosed as gluten intolerant. I panicked for a bit, until I finally had the nerve to pull out that first recipe and started to go through it. As I was cooking that first from scratch recipe I slowly realized that this was familiar. I had a flashback to sitting on the kitchen counter watching my mother with something akin to awe as she threw ingredients together for a dinner after last-minute guests arrived. I had always wondered how she was able to do that and have it turn out so well. Now I know it comes with a life long familiarity with ingredients and flavors that gave her the confidence to create a dish on the fly with such ease. Slowly, with every new meal, I too am gaining confidence in my ability to successfully combine flavors. The last time my mother visited I recognized that the roles had reversed as I showed her how to make gluten free buttermilk biscuits, from scratch of course.
I learnt to cook by sitting in the kitchen with my Grandmother and asking questions.
I realise now I was probably being very irritating with all my "whys" and "hows" (which explains why my Mum would never let me in the kitchen with her) but my Grandmother listened and answered every single question I could throw at her, while showing me how to cook all these traditional dishes, and gradually, stage by stage letting me help.
I've teared up at every single episode of the Food Revolution. I don't care if the reality show part of it is contrived; what Jamie is out there doing, and what some of the people in Huntington are trying/learning/teaching, is amazing.
I learned how to cook somewhat from my mother, somewhat from a chef I dated for several years, and a lot from experimentation. I teach gluten-free, allergen-free cooking classes sometimes, and my goal is to get people willing to experiment and willing to trust themselves to learn to get it right (whatever version of right works for them).
My mom taught me bit by bit. My daughters are great sous-chefs, peeling garlic and kneading bread dough, cracking eggs and whisking. We love to watch Jamie get excited about good food.
this past christmas I invited my sister (19 years old) over to make cookies for her new boyfriend. We had the KA mixer going, added butter and sugar, then the recipe called for eggs. The eggs went into the whirring mixer shells and all!
lindsayu83 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Hi there! I'd love to win this book. I've been teaching a friend to bake vegan treats and how to cook tofu!
I remember a college instructor who assigned students to get together and cook a meal. Then each person wrote about what they learned during the experience. I always thought what a neat idea that was.
Cooking was just part of our family, I don't remember how or when I learned, it was just something we did. My dad would cook on Sundays with the tv in the kitchen so he could watch football. My sisters and I would bake any chance we got. My mom received Gourmet magazine in the mail and took pride in being a gourmet cook. Cooking was how we socialized and how we celebrated, it was what we did.
My first clear memory is sitting on the counter licking the seemingly HUGE KitchenAid mixer bowl which then slipped out of my hands and crashed sonorously on the linoleum. I was in the almost-going-to-cry state when I looked up at my mum's smiling face as she scooped me up, laughing.
After that, I was basically a kitchen shadow always following, watching, rattling off endless questions, and always asking "can I do it?". Luckily I had the kind of mum who liked being in the kitchen with her little girl and didn't fuss over cooking "mistakes".
I still love being in the kitchen with her, and now sometimes I get to show her a thing or two! I still occasionally drop the mixing bowl.
Actually, it was Jamie who taught me how to cook. I mean really cook. Use fresh ingredients and start from scratch. I am forever grateful to him. I should tell him one day. It's his fresh approach, his enthousiasm, his accent... I love it! I first saw his shows about 7 years ago. It changed my life :D and I am very happy to see that he has also changed the lives of many others. Keep up the good work, Jamie!
what a perfect moment for me to be reading this... I have a date with my mom tonight to teach her a few things in the kitchen. My mom has never been a big cooker - probably because she associates it with my grandmother's liver and onions... that and my dad will only eat things that once went "moo." I am now working as a health coach - I try to inspire and teach people to cook for themselves and ENJOY it. My mom is going through my program right now and it's been so fun for both of us - and I get to feel like I'm finally able to give something back to her after all these years. I'm so grateful for the way that she raised me. It's such a perfect example of how the mother, daughter relationship evolves. Shauna, you have so much to look forward to with Lu!
I learned to cook to help take care of my brother when my mom and dad had to work late when I was younger. I learned on Hamburger helper. Follow the instructions. I then took Home Ec in High School and learned more about proper measuring and the right way to do things. LOL ...
I learned to cook and bake from my mother. I am thankful every day that she was not shy of experimentation and stretching her knowledge. I think the reason my son has adapted to the gluten free diet so easily is because I have not been intimidated by "new" flours and love the challenge. Thanks Mom!
To be honest, I'm afraid to cook. Not the process really. I can stumble around a stove and an oven, but it's what to make. I feel held back from diving right in because I need to be health and calorie conscious. This book sounds great because usually if you're doing well in the health department you're doing well in the calorie one too.
I'd also like to feed my family better. With living far from work and trying to fit in a workout, my time seems to fly. I want to at least start, on the weekends, making really great food for my family. We all have to start somewhere! I think this cook book would help.
I learned to cook first and foremost from my grandmothers and mom. They rarely cooked from a box and always had veggies from the garden. I was so blessed to be nourished in such a way from loving family. Growing older, I learned that many of our "casseroles" contained canned items and not so fresh ingredients. Thank goodness these casseroles were not the mainstay of our diet! After trialing a gluten-free diet I ventured onto several blogs (this being one of my favorites) that led me away from my comfort zone and taught me to cook with much more zeal and adventure. I love learning new foods and new food combinations. What a wonderful adventure to be on despite all of the negatives of having to eat gluten-free. Can't wait to check out his book. It sounds wonderful!
My first "cooking" memory is making my own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch when I was in the 1st (maybe 2nd) grade. My mom didn't make very good lunches, so I took over. It made me feel so powerful.
Cooking was throwing together various convenience items in pans on the stove or casserole dishes for the oven when I was young and so I never really had much interest in it. It lacked creativity, passion, and (for that matter) flavor. When I met my husband on our first 'date' he asked me several questions mostly meant to try and scare me away (he just didn't have any energy to put towards a relationship that wasn't going to be reciprocated in a healthy way) and some of those questions were "Do you like to cook? What do you cook? What do you like to eat?" This kind of got the wheels turning for the first time and shortly afterwards I went on the search for recipes that didn't involve 'TacoBell Home Originals Salsa', but rather how to make your own Salsa at home. It took a while to find the cooking information I was looking for, but once I found a few sources I was quickly hooked and now cook close to 95% of all the food we eat from scratch and have never eaten so well :)
I was an OK cook. I could make the basics. But, two years ago when I learned my son couldn't have: wheat, casein, yeast, sugar, nuts, chocolate, and a few other things, then I strapped on the apron and got serious. My favorite treats are vanilla bean ice cream (made w/ coconut milk) and banana carob chip muffins.
I've really enjoyed Jamie Oliver's show. I can't believe the season finale is almost here. I would LOVE to try some things from his cookbook. Thanks so much.
In reality....public tv and trial and error have taught me to cook. I am loving learning to use real food and serve it to my family with love and knowing that it is actually helping them. I am loving cooking for them. I would love to win this book.
When I was an infant, my grandmother held me on the kitchen counter so I could smoosh pie crust dough with my roly-poly baby feet and fists. For my entire childhood, every time I walked through her door, I asked to "do the dough." Working in the kitchen with my family has been a lifelong joy, the best part of every holiday and get-together, and the focus of so many treasured memories. I love seeing your photos with little Lu's hand sneaking into the frame because I know just how special those times will always be to her.
i love what jamie is doing and i am happy that other people have the same passion, it is SO important. i work in an elementary school and they need help!
i just learned to cook when i got married, following recipes of mother, mother in law and church cookbooks!
I didn't know how to even make pasta (the packaged kind. . . you just boil water. . .) when I graduated from college, but I grew up in a family that prized home cooking. I taught myself slowly from cookbooks and now it is one of the greatest joys of my life to make good, healthy, fresh food for those I love.
I learned to cook many meals and sweets from my Midwestern mom. I've always liked to cook and bake, but it's only since moving to San Francisco that I've really been inspired to cook. Going to the farmer's market at the Ferry Building every Saturday and seeing beautiful, local produce, much of which I have never eaten, has inspired me to try new foods and new recipes. I am excited for my family to visit me this summer and see my new way of cooking and eating.
I am the 4th child, so by the time I came along my mom (who was a good cook at the time) was beaten down with requests for Ravioli-o's and Chef-Boyardee. She succumbed to the pressure of us kids. Alternatively, whenever I visited my grandma, she would take the time to teach me how to cook. We would plan a menu, go shopping for it, and spend the day cooking. I have great memories of that, and I still love to cook. I'm trying to teach my own children (ages 7 & 5) to cook, starting with cookies and lasagna. I'm also trying not to succumb to the constant requests for Chicken Nuggets. Maybe this book will help me too?
I learned how to cook from watching and helping my mom in the kitchen. The only way she could make dinner at night and still keep an eye on my little sister and I was to invite us into the kitchen with her. She would pull up stools for us to stand on and give us simple tasks to help make the meal. We had a home cooked dinner at least 6 nights a week. We have a passion for food in our family, good, homemade food. My sister and I used to pretend we had our own cooking show and we would talk to an imaginary audience in our kitchen while making brownies or omelets! Now that I know I have Celiac disease, I appreciate my joy of cooking so much more because I know I can make my husband, son and myself delicious gluten free meals and enjoy myself while doing it.
My mother was a single parent who didn't have a lot of time to cook, so she didn't much. We lived on a lot of fast food and canned veggies. I was inspired by an aunt who lives on a farm and makes homemade breads, preserves, pickles, you name it. I learned that fresh tastes so much better, and that there is joy in spending time in the kitchen. Though she lived too far away for lessons, I sopped up whatever I could when I'd visit, and it changed the way I live.
LOVE Jamie Oliver!!!
Some of my earliest memories are standing at the kitchen counter on a dining room chair with a wooden spoon in my hand. My mom baked dozens and dozens of dinner rolls for the freezer, made soup that started with an actual chicken and made us awesome homemade birthday cakes (me - chocolate cake with chocolate frosting). I was always by her side.
I love to cook! It's such a full sensory experience, and a joy to use the vegetables, fruits, milk, yogurt, and eggs from my local farmers' market. My mother, who was a good cook, but didn't enjoy doing it, taught me the basics, and I expanded my knowledge through cookbooks and just "playing" with food--experimenting. My two children, now young adults, joined me in cooking as toddlers, and both cook "from scratch" and eat well. We always talk about food when we get together.
It's funny, I always wanted to cook, but my parents wouldn't really let me in the kitchen. My step-father has a degree in food-service management, and so I grew up in whatever diner/restaurant he was working in at the time. It wasn't until I was 16, and hired to be the kitchen assistant at a Girl Scout Camp, that I learned to cook. They fired the Head Cook three weeks into the season, and it was determined that I would take over her role, while continuing to do my work, for the remainder of the summer. I was feeding 75-200 people three meals a day (plus snacks) for two months, and I've never really cooked more than grilled cheese and ramen noodles for my little sister. It was an incredible, amazing, eye-opening experience, and it sparked in me a deep passion for cooking, for feeding and nurturing others, and for making change through food. These days, it's mostly feeding myself and my housemate, and the occasional dinner party, but that magic is still there. Thanks to you and the Chef, I will be able to cook and bake more for my many friends with celiac and other gluten issues. Thanks for inspiring me and so many others. This isn't so much about the giveaway (although I can't seem to track it down locally) as it is a reflection of your question-I am grateful to have pulled up the memory of that summer, though painful and difficult, because it changed my life.
This morning I taught someone how to cook. My husband and I live in Kabul, Afghanistan. We are teachers at an international school here. We live on a compound with the rest of the teachers and have guards with guns protecting us at both ends of our street. For the 25 teachers who live on our school's compound, we have a cook who cooks both lunch and dinner for us 6 days a week. On the 7th day of the week we seek leftovers from the week or my husband and I cook in our home. (We got married in July 2009 and moved here in Aug 2009.)
I am gluten free and living here without organic grocery stores or the ability to order things online is very challenging. The most challenging is having a cook prepare our meals. (I know you're probably thinking why...but he's more focused on saving time and less focused on the preparing satisfying meals...sad I know.) Often times when we arrive in the dining hall for dinner my husband (and rest of the staff) enjoy a delicious meal and I am handed a bowl of cooked ground beef. Because our cook doesn't really want to take the time to cook something else for me, if the main dish contains wheat, I get offered a bowl of the basic ingredients. Needless to say, this makes eating not very exciting.
But, that's not my cooking story...that's just my life. My cooking story started a couple of weeks ago when I wanted to make something that my husband loves....monkey bread. Refrigerated biscuit dough has not made it over the ocean and mountains to our corner store, so I had to be creative. Around the corner from our compound is a 'Nan' bread shop. Nan is the main type of bread served in this culture. I wondered if I could make monkey bread with the nan dough.
So I tried it. My husband loved it. I of course couldn't eat it, but its ok. I wanted to make it for him. So, I took some of the monkey bread over to the dining hall to give to our cook. He has tried making monkey bread once before. Just imagine taking bread the size of baseballs, throwing them in a pan together, sprinkling some cinnamon and sugar over them and then calling it monkey bread. It was a disaster. The day that he made the monkey bread, I was very happy to be gluten free. I was saved from the wretched mess that he thought was edible.
So this morning, monkey bread appeared on the menu again for lunch. Earlier this week, the cook asked me to come on Thursday morning and help him prepare the monkey bread. He realized that his first attempt was a failure and that I knew how to make it. So we talked about the ingredients that he would need to get, nan dough, cinnamon, sugar, butter, pecans, and he asked me to arrive at 9 am this morning.
I awoke this morning knowing that I would be able to contribute something to our campus. I would be able to help create a delicious brunch food to be enjoyed by everyone (except me) and I was so happy to help.
When I arrived, recipe in hand, the cook looked at me and smiled. I told him that we needed to get a big bowl to put the cinnamon and sugar in and then start rolling out the nan dough and preparing it to put in the pan. As I was explaining how to cut the dough into little pieces, he stopped me and said that the dough was already prepared. I was shocked! He pointed to a bowl behind me and there it was...cooked nan bread cut up into little pieces. I didn't know what to do. I told him that I didn't think it would work (knowing full well that I WOULD NEVER work). As I tried to explain that we needed the dough because the cinnamon/sugar combination needed to stick to the dough he said,
"Ok. I think I will try with this bread today. I will try with the dough next time."
to be continued...
monkey bread continued...
I was speechless. I knew that we were about to have the 2nd monkey bread disaster, but this time my name would be added onto the blame. I walked across the street back to my house feeling very defeated. Our cook is not known for his adaptability or creativity, but he had asked me for help. So I offered it and he denied it. He was just going to do it his way and not care at all that it would not work.
My husband was furious. I told him that I was fine, but that the monkey bread wouldn't make it. He quickly jumped up out of the bed and headed straight to the kitchen to tell the cook that it would not work. I was embarrassed, but I couldn't stop him. He came back to the house and said that the cook was going to go get the nan dough and use it.
Culture hint: women are not always respected or valued in this culture, so even though I had told the cook it wouldn't work, it really honestly took my husband telling him for him to believe it.
I didn't know if I should go back over to the kitchen or not. I wanted the monkey bread to be a success, but I felt like I was no longer welcome to help make it happen. So, I stayed at home.
Lunch time came and my husband and I headed over to the dining hall. There it was sitting on the counter, a big pan of monkey bread. Honestly, it looked normal. The aroma of baked cinnamon and sugar filled the space and just begged to be tasted. My husband took a bite and said that it wasn't too bad. As others came to fill their plates, people started asking if I had helped make the monkey bread. (The majority of them had heard me say that I would be helping the cook make it)
I didn't know how to respond. I did offer direction and a recipe, but as far as making it, I didn't deserve any credit. So I told everyone that I just provided the recipe and a little guidance. I was just so thankful that it was well received.
So, that's my cooking story. I taught my cook how to cook monkey bread...thankfully with my husband's help.
I love reading your blog. I look forward to it every weekend. Getting up and reading it has become my Thursday morning routine (Thursday and Friday are the weekend here).
Thank you for how you have contributed to my gluten free life.
amanda
My mum taught me the basics, and I'm so grateful. I can't imagine a life without home-cooked meals. I continued to be inspired and learn more about food through cook books and tv shows and food blogs. I'd really love to win this book! I've followed Jamie for years. This new show of his has not (yet) been screened in my country... I can't wait!
I'm thinking of trying Jamie Oliver's cookbook. I have been trying to learn to cook for about 3 years (since my boys needed to be put on a gf diet). Before that I "cooked" prepared meals from bags found in the freezer section.
It all seems very chaotic to me and I can't seem to find a pattern to it. I need to know the process behind the art - so to speak. I'm hoping Jamie Oliver's book will be a good fit.
Do you need to go through the book consecutively in order to learn the techniques best or can you jump around in the book?
Thanks for your post - I enjoy Jamie's show and with your good review, I am even more interested in his book.
Jamie Oliver is a passionate person, I am amaze on how dedicated and strong-willed he is on his cause. And even though he got a lot, I mean really a lot of negative feedbacks... He is not stopping and he just keeps on doing what he does best, inspires people, make a difference and trying to make this world a much better place... I really admire him! :)
The show is awesome. So glad people are finally talking about food, and wanting to make changes. I'm a Slow Food member and have been inspired by my Community Supported Agriculture Farm Share to help kids learn where food comes from. My very picky daughter would eat food off the plant at the farm. I was amazed, that's when my food revolution began.
I grew up in a single parent household. My mother was a very hard worker - but not a cook. I don't remember her ever cooking much.
I on the other hand have always enjoyed cooking. But "cooking" to me was a very interesting term. "Cooking" from a box, was indeed my definition of "creating". Due to my inexperience and lack of understanding I thought I was doing pretty good. UNTIL, I had two babies, both with Celiac's. All of the sudden I was researching how to make my own marinades. And researching all the wacked ingredients they use in processing foods. I'm so happy for the blessing of "pure" cooking, that my two celiac kids have given me. Together we cook all the time. My daughter (2 yrs in May) and I made crepe's this morning she is my mixer. She know's right where to go find a whisk to help me stir my flours together before the wet ingredients.
I would love the opportunity to have more recipes to share with them.
Thanks
My mom taught be to cook the basics, but as I left the house, I taught myself to experiment with a variety of ingredients and flavors.
My Mother is a wonderful cook, but I never really paid attention to how she cooked things. When I got married, I could barely boil water! My husband was very patient, and eventually, I taught myself, with my Mother's help over the phone, and can now say that I can hold my own in the kitchen.
amieeogden@yahoo.com
I wish I could say that I learned to cook from my darling Southern grandmother, but that's not exactly right. I learned some techniques (like frying cube steak) and some best practices (like mise en place, though that's not what she called it), but I didn't really truly learn how to cook to feed myself and my household daily until my husband and I moved in together. That year I made one of the only New Year's Resolutions that I ever kept: make one new recipe a week. There were plenty of duds but there were also some winners. And there was a lot of learning going on.
I, too, learned to cook from my mom! I watched her avidly when I was little, then when I was in college fell in love with the Food Network. I would also record the Galloping Gourmet, Rick Bayless, Ming Tsai and Justin on public television and pore over the episodes later.
I also love Jamie Oliver, and will have to check out this book!
mycatisgftoo @ yahoo.com
I was blessed to be raised in the kitchen, spending most of my time with my working mother in our kitchen. I grew up watching cooking shows on PBS on Saturdays, spending my summers going to the library to get cook books and baking whatever I wanted. This was all normal to me. It wasn't until recently I realized how few of my friends can cook or even feel they should try. So to resolve this I started cooking classes in my home - informal attempts to make people realize that it's fun, it's creative it's like the adult version of finger painting - get in there and enjoy it.
I have to say Jamie is doing amazing work to try and demystify cooking and I really wish him the best. His book How to Cook is also fabulous to.
I'm so glad you’re supporting Jaimie Oliver on your blog & bringing light to his mission. I believe very strongly that people need to care about what's being put into their bodies, need to own the responsibility of their physical well-being, and need to make an effort to take the time to stop, breathe, and relax for a real moment each day, and knowing how to cook can precede that. I’ve known for years how to use an oven, what a skillet's for, how to bake, how to throw things together and end up with something edible. But even in being comfortable using kitchen tools, I was still making the quickest meals possible, often using pre-packaged food items to make dinner. In thinking about the question you posed, it occurred to me that I am only beginning to learn how to cook, having had gluten removed from my diet. I'm not saying a person has to become gluten free to learn to cook, I'm saying that I was lazy in my cooking until I HAD to pay close attention to every ingredient in a food item off a shelf. I'm not just gluten free...I'm sugar free, dairy free, egg free, potato free, corn free, pepper free, yeast free, not to mention my allergy to lemons, oranges, tomatoes, and bananas (I could go on). So even foods labeled as "gluten free" aren't an automatic purchase for me. I have to look to see if any of the foods listed above are in the product. My only option was to prepare certain things myself, learning what I could sub for various things. Applesauce for sugar, flax meal & water for eggs, limes in place of lemons, etc.. I learned to make baking powder because I can’t have either potato or corn starch. When I was making a recipe that called for avocados, I thought "avocados lend a creaminess to foods, what can I substitute to make this creamy that won’t mess up the taste of the dish?" and I came up with almond butter (which worked great). So for me, learning how to cook is just beginning. It's a process of trial & error, but it's a process that’s not only allowing me to participate actively in bringing health back to my body, it's also giving me the determination to never again become lazy in my cooking. I have so many "aha" moments in the kitchen. I realized that I need to learn more about the chemistry of baking so I can have an even greater freedom to experiment in it. I learned that fruit smoothies I make at home are way better than any frozen/blended beverage I could get at a coffee shop. I learned that my husband and I love lamb and that cooking lamb chops is not a scary or difficult thing. I had never in my life SEEN Swiss Chard, and I certainly hadn’t tried it, but when my doctor listed it as a food I CAN have, I googled recipes for it and found I'd been missing out on one of the best greens I've ever eaten. My story is just beginning, and I’m proud of the meals that I set before my husband now. I'm grateful that he is supporting me in this. Two months ago he was still a very skeptical eater. Now he eats with gusto the meals I prepare, even if he's never heard of the ingredients, and he usually raves about how great they taste. We both enjoy eating "clean". We feel satisfied, not overstuffed; we feel light, not weighted down. We eat for our health now. While rinsing bok choy today, I considered posting as my facebook status that I "think it would benefit people to clean, cut and prepare their food before cooking...it would certainly eliminate eating from boredom." I truly believe that having to invest time in the meals that are prepared not only helps a person appreciate what is before them and where each thing came from, but it helps a person stop, breathe, and relax for a real moment before putting food in their body...and I think at that point it actually becomes sustenance, and not just a meal. Thank you for all you do for us through your blog. I started this journey with a positive attitude because of your assurance that it could be a fun adventure. And it is ;-)
My 9 year old niece is learning to cook (and loving it). Your post inspired me to buy her a copy of this book for her 10th birthday. I'll help her figure out how to make things GF for her GF auntie, mother, sister, and grandfather. Thanks for the inspiration.
I tried the recipe today, and I would like to offer my friendly feedback. I understand that kitchen humidity and other factors affect baking, but this scone dough turned out crazy dry when using the quantities as written. (No, I did not make any substitutions aside from cherries to cranberries, and, yes, I used my kitchen scale to measure flours.) I had to add a lot more milk. I didn't measure the of the exact quantity, but I'm thinking it was at least 1/4-1/3 cup. With this information in mind, I think that it would be extremely valuable if the recipe provided a more specific description of what the dough should look/feel like other than 'soft and fully combined' and 'you might need more milk'. It may help the novice GF baker be more successful with baking your recipe, especially since flours are so expensive.
I think the next time I make this recipe, I'm going to try adding one more egg, switching to buttermilk, and adding some lemon zest. Yum! :)
so glad to see all your mentions of jamie oliver. i have been a big fan of his for years (especially the jamie at home book and tv series). i know just what you mean about watching the new show with your mouth agape- so much of how people eat these days alarms me, so i am fully in support of him working to make a difference.
When i was 13 or so both of my parents worked 60+ hours a week. My dad had some blood sugar issues and never ate they way he should. Often he would come home and barely make it to the couch before he passed out. I hated to see him that way so i began to make sure there was something ready for him to eat as soon as he came home. I wasn't a very good cook at first but i got better over time, and at least Mon and Dad didn't have to worry about what to make for dinner every night. Today i am almost 30 years old and i am one of the better cooks i know. I feel lucky to have learned at a young age not only the basics of cooking but also the love of cooking and of good food.
I can not give you a story of how I have learned to cook. I still do not know how. I have to ask for help when making simple rice. Growing up I was spoiled, I never had to clean or cook or do my own laundry. Now here I am at age 25 living off easy microwave or oven meals because I can't seem to cook a full meal without burning over half of it or not knowing what to do. I would love to win a copy of this book and learn how to cook some delicious meals!
Guess I'm working backwards on your posts this week, Shauna. Glad I came back for this one! You've said it exactly. All Jamie wants folks to know is the pleasure of cooking and eating real food. So simple, but yet so huge. I've been disheartened to find some friends are totatlly uninterested in the show and the concepts. I hope everyone reading here will join the 30 Days to a Food Revolution event that Diane is hosting over at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang. 30 days of insight from other bloggers on eating real food.
I learned to cook when I started living away from home when I went off to college. My mother is an excellent cook, but she really hated for my sister and I to "mess up" her kitchen. So I just started making dishes, using cookbooks and recipes from friends. I celebrated my successes and learned from my failures. While I have a repertoire of great recipes now (and a whole bunch of new ones after going gf), I am constantly learning in the kitchen and that's pretty cool I think.
I know being Beatles' fans that the concept of Revolution, especially, a Food Revolution, must be pleasing to you. ;-)
Shirley
I learned to cook because my family left me home alone as a child during the summers and the only thing I had to eat was leftovers in the fridge (that were mostly wheat based) and the vegetables in the garden. As I grew older, I got a part time job so that I could start buying my own ingredients to cook more things. Learning how to cook has been the one thing that has gotten me through my Celiac diagnosis, and then learning I can't eat dairy, yeast, or soy either. btw.... Jamie Oliver is my hero. If I had had fresh food in my school lunches I would have had at least a few meals a week that weren't as toxic to me. Today, I still struggle to feed myself but it has brought me immense joy to learn how to cook amazing meals!
I learned to cook from my mom but really this past year when we moved to Central Europe was the start of a new chapter. I realized when i went to the store and a small box of Lasagna noodles cost 7 EUROS! (over $10!) I hadn't made noodles since we were kids and never lasagna noodles but i did it. i realized I can do a lot and feel good about what goes in it. Even homemade funnel cakes every now and again. Hubby and I make them together and at least i know what's in them :)
For years I watched my Mom cook and was satisfied by the fresh ingredients and various flavors she played with. When I became an adult and moved out though, I realized that I wasn't paying close enough attention and hadn't learned nearly enough from her. I was glad for the introduction as a child and most of the time, am willing to experiment because of the fundamentals she taught me. If I'm not sure though, I call her and get a tutorial. Thanks Mom!
My mom taught me how to cook, and now I'm teaching my three kids. We are loving it!
gotta love that Jamie Oliver. He's so...authentic!
I grew up in the era when no moms, except mine, worked. While Mom was a "hamburger helper mom," Dad cooked everything from scratch. I can remember him coming at me with spoons asking, "What do you think this needs?" And I would taste the homemade hot Chinese mustard and give my opinion, despite the fact that I didn't even LIKE hot Chinese mustard. I credit Dad today with my love of food, my love of cooking. thanks, Dad!!
I learned to cook when I was kid. My mother would have us come into the kitchen and watch her do her thing. I've loved Jamie's stuff for years - glad to hear he finally made it to the other shore...
readitlostfan@gmail.com
My kids are still little, but I want to involve them in food. I'd love to read this book!
I learned how to cook from my mother. She taught me how to read recipes, measure and mix. Then she also taught me how to make do, make up and improvise. I have become a cook like my mother. I may not make a formal calendar of meals for the week, but when I am caught without an ingredient for a recipe, it isn't the end of the world. It will still turn out alright.
I had watched friends cook for a long time (while I always cleaned - I'm very Monica - from Friends - like that!) and when I moved to a city where I didn't know many people I decided I would be the cook, rather than the cleaner. So I started throwing things into pans, following recipes and adding things I liked.
A friend and I would play a game called "There's always pizza". We'd cook together, talking about the recipe, trying things as we went along, adding things that were hanging out in the fridge waiting to be used. And we'd say to ourselves "If it turns out horribly, there's always pizza!" This taught us not to be afraid of cooking. If it turned out wonderfully, that was great and we learned something. If it turned out horribly, there was always pizza delivery and we still learned something!
My friends now are always amazed at how calm I am in the kitchen, I just repeat my mantra to myself - and I hardly ever have to call for delivery.
I always think the same thing when I see that commercial too!
I learned to cook by watching my mother.
dicity
I've been watching the show (we are "the choir," long disgusted with school food and not allowing our child to take hot lunch--my brown bags are REAL food!)but somehow missed there was a related cookbook! Thank you for letting me know--I'm making a request at my local library. I'll enjoy adding to our meal repertoire. I'm not a great cook, but since our girl was born 9 years ago, we cook from scratch all the time--and it just isn't that hard or that time-consuming, America!
Great post and I for one am very excited about this show taking on a more "real" approach than most other reality shows. They are willing to show that sometimes we can't fix everything and that there's not always a happy ending.
That said, there are plenty of positives to come out of awareness like this. This will definitely help healthy food alternatives get a bit more spotlight. Like this company, Wat-ahh that I just found out about, who are trying to fight childhood obesity by making kids reach for water instead of soda: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BC3796CB622E57BB
I will be 38 years old this June. I did not have a mother or grandmother or anybody else to teach me to cook. I am still not a very good cook and find myself falling back on 'fast' food to feed my family. I would love to learn how to cook! We are a family of 8, we have 4 boys that were adopted from Romania one of our own and one that we are guardins of=all are in their teens now and our grocery budget is $450 a month. NOT EASY! We do a lot of beans and rice and I am so very sick of this same thing over and over and over and over and over...I don't know how to 'spice it up' or give it a new twist,we do not have cable or anything like that to watch this show...My husband does not like me to use salt...blah...I thought that sea salt was not that bad on high blood pressure or cholesterol...please correct me if I am wrong...anyway, to learn of different ways to blend different seasonings would be a great benefit to me...as I am at the point that I don't care if I ever eat again if it has to be beans and rice! Thank you for your efforts here...
Post a Comment
The conversation and community is the best part of being here. Id love to hear what you have to say.
Let the conversation be spirited and full of questions. However, any nasty comments with a personal attack, or scurrilous ones with no intention but to hurt? They]re not getting published.
This is why I am no longer accepting anonymous comments. Too many insulting comments come through those.
This space is like my kitchen, and Im inviting you in. If you would feel comfortable pointing your finger at me and shouting during a party in my kitchen, well, I'd ask you to leave. And then the rest of us would clear the air and go back to talking and laughing. The same is true here.
Now. Enough of that. Let's talk.