Time to Get Cookin'!

It has been exactly half a year since my last post. It has been a hard 6 months, seeming to be both a long time and a short time. So much has happened; so many thoughts, so many things to say. One of the mantras that has helped me get by is "K.I.S.S." or "Keep It Simple, Stupid." In that vein, I am going to cover only one kind of light topic in this post.

As I've written previously, I really love to cook. It is satisfying in itself to create something, let alone when one is cooking for other people who enjoy the dish! As anyone who knows me probably knows or can deduce, I equally enjoy eating! I do not consider myself to be a "foodie", but I do feel like one can learn a lot about a place and a culture by its cuisine. I love to cook and eat ethnic foods in particular and this sentiment is doubly true of that!

The reason I bring this up is that a colleague of mine brought in a bunch of books she wanted to unload, including several cookbooks. I have acquired about half of my cookbooks in such a situation. Of course, I could not resist adding to my collection and I grabbed a lovely cookbook on Mexican cuisine. Most of my family and friends would never guess it based on my interest and travels to Asia and Europe, but Mexican cuisine is my absolute favorite! The spices, the cheese, the citrus, the meat, the unique flavor combinations- I love it all! Immediately upon acquiring said cookbook, I bookmarked about a quarter of the book with all of the recipes I want to try.

The crux of this post is this: my colleague and I started talking about how we never use our cookbooks, hence the reason why she was giving them away. There is never enough time to cook for the sake of cooking; it is a frivolous use of time. Looking recipes up online is much more convenient; one can look for exactly what they want and can get the recipe instantaneously.  As Americans living in the 21st century, aren't we all about instant gratification? But there is something romantic about using a cookbook that Internet recipes cannot provide. There's just something special about cooking out of a book that someone compiled just for the sake of food. It is even more special when the book is secondhand; which recipes did the other person try?

On that note, I have decided to institute a new plan for myself. One day a weekend (with the exception of weekends where I am not home), I am going to cook a recipe from a cookbook. It is a hobby that deserves a devoted time. Cooking more often is always a resolution that I have and I never follow through with it. This weekend, I will obviously be cooking out of I new cookbook. I am hoping to try the cerviche but we'll see. It will be an advet that I am happy to take!