Am I a "gourmet"? Or just a decent cook?
Well, my pozole (pork and hominy soup, referenced here) was a big hit. I might have mentioned it earlier, but when our maintenance guy last week or so to install new window blinds, he smelled it on the stove as I was reheating it, so we gave him a container to go. He returned it last Sunday, empty and washed. My parents (mostly my mother, actually) just raved and raved about it. When I was over last Wednesday to mow the lawn, they said they had finished up the leftovers.
My mother called me a gourmet, although this time it was more complimentary than insulting. It still annoys me a little bit, though. Something fancy and "foodie" is less on my mind than cooking skills that will allow me to search the pantry and/or fridge and be able to make something from what's on hand (maybe with a little bit of shopping) that is healthy and something that everyone in the family will eat. That's not always easy, since my daughter would be quite happy with hot dogs (corn-batter covered or otherwise), macaroni and cheese, frozen burriots, and the like.
I don't consider myself a gourmet. Open-air markets are uncommon here, and I am more than willing to use something frozen or in a can because our budget just can't accomodate fresh all the time. (Besides, most of the stuff I brought back from the last two farmers market trips was quickly eaten just like that-- raw.) And canned hominy is the only way to go for pozole-- you have to wash it with lime paste (as in limestone, not the fruit) otherwise. I mean, hey, you watch the locals, you take notes, you make it like they do. Not everyone has Abuelita by their side to teach them all the recipes ;)
My mother called me a gourmet, although this time it was more complimentary than insulting. It still annoys me a little bit, though. Something fancy and "foodie" is less on my mind than cooking skills that will allow me to search the pantry and/or fridge and be able to make something from what's on hand (maybe with a little bit of shopping) that is healthy and something that everyone in the family will eat. That's not always easy, since my daughter would be quite happy with hot dogs (corn-batter covered or otherwise), macaroni and cheese, frozen burriots, and the like.
I don't consider myself a gourmet. Open-air markets are uncommon here, and I am more than willing to use something frozen or in a can because our budget just can't accomodate fresh all the time. (Besides, most of the stuff I brought back from the last two farmers market trips was quickly eaten just like that-- raw.) And canned hominy is the only way to go for pozole-- you have to wash it with lime paste (as in limestone, not the fruit) otherwise. I mean, hey, you watch the locals, you take notes, you make it like they do. Not everyone has Abuelita by their side to teach them all the recipes ;)