More eat
I've been thinking about cookbooks again today. I'm often thinking about cooking, in one form or another, although today I didn't do as much of it as usual because I spent the afternoon at Zlata's place, and she kindly fed me lunch. (We also watched a movie and spent a fair amount of time chatting and drinking tea, which was nice, and then I went back to school and spent three hours sorting type, because my miserable rent is going up, and it seems best to keep nose firmly to grindstone.)
But then in the evening I was talking to Aunty Deluvian, who had just read my barbecue sauce notes from yesterday, and wondering what it would take to put together my own treatise or manual or philosophy or whatever-it-is. It would be a bunch of advice about which basic supplies to keep in one's cupboard, which things should be kept in regular short-term supply (like cheese), and which things should be bought the day you plan to use them (like sushi fish * and raspberries). Then there would be a section of mix-and-match basic techniques: the same basic procedure can turn into spaghetti sauce or stew or curry or soup, with only minor variations, for instance. Sauces and gravies fall into a few categories, and things like pizza or cookies may be infinitely varied.
Recipes would be sized to make enough for one person, with minimal leftovers, but with suggestions about which things could be multiplied to feed more people or to stash some away in the freezer.
It's the book I wish I'd had when I first started living by myself, and didn't know where to start. I'd still like to have it; it would be a handy reference. Possibly such a book already exists, but really I want it to be my own version. I guess the obvious first step is to collect all the random recipes I've posted over the last couple of years, print them out, and stick them in a binder or something. Hmm. I suspect that means buying a new ink cartridge for my printer.
. . . . . . . . . . .
* Sushi fish that you bought yesterday is more generally known as "cat food."
But then in the evening I was talking to Aunty Deluvian, who had just read my barbecue sauce notes from yesterday, and wondering what it would take to put together my own treatise or manual or philosophy or whatever-it-is. It would be a bunch of advice about which basic supplies to keep in one's cupboard, which things should be kept in regular short-term supply (like cheese), and which things should be bought the day you plan to use them (like sushi fish * and raspberries). Then there would be a section of mix-and-match basic techniques: the same basic procedure can turn into spaghetti sauce or stew or curry or soup, with only minor variations, for instance. Sauces and gravies fall into a few categories, and things like pizza or cookies may be infinitely varied.
Recipes would be sized to make enough for one person, with minimal leftovers, but with suggestions about which things could be multiplied to feed more people or to stash some away in the freezer.
It's the book I wish I'd had when I first started living by myself, and didn't know where to start. I'd still like to have it; it would be a handy reference. Possibly such a book already exists, but really I want it to be my own version. I guess the obvious first step is to collect all the random recipes I've posted over the last couple of years, print them out, and stick them in a binder or something. Hmm. I suspect that means buying a new ink cartridge for my printer.
. . . . . . . . . . .
* Sushi fish that you bought yesterday is more generally known as "cat food."