Let’s Cook

I feel like cooking today.

I actually enjoy it when I have time to really devote myself to the planning, shopping, and preparation and who doesn’t like it when people enjoy something we’ve created just for them? Back in the day, when I was a stay-at-home mom, I really made dinners. Now we eat out a lot because when there are only two of you, it’s pretty economical. I make meals during the week, too, but you know the kind….unwrap the steak, marinate it, throw it on the grill and eat dinner about 15 minutes later.

Last night, while I was going through a recipe book to search out some ideas for a meal this evening (we have friends joining us!), the author was stressing the idea of enjoying the preparation of it ~ really getting your hands in there and not seeing that as some kind of chore. She actually kisses her tomatoes before dicing but that’s another story. (She’s an Italian housewife that I watch on Bravo and she lives in Jersey. You may know the one. Think table-flipping.)

But as I read her new cookbook, I was actually amazed at how much she knows about herbs and spices (there is a slight difference, by the way ~ one is from seeds, one is from leaves. I’ll quiz you later.)  Who knew I’d actually care about basil and rosemary but I kind of do now. I actually want to make something completely from scratch using only the finest, fresh stuff.  I want to skip a trip to Sweetbay or Publix and find a fabulous market. I want to talk to the butcher about the finest prosciutto and I want to locate the best cheese to serve as an appetizer.

Maybe, by the end of today, I’ll even smooch a tomato or two.