The Hiatus is Over

Summer is Almost Here…

I know it’s only May, but with the warm weather becoming more frequent, with the exception of 2 frost-warning nights in a row this week (but at least we’ve escaped Jersey’s freak April Thunder Storms, which are more like torrential down-pours than showers), college Spring semester is nearly over, and I have so much more time on my hands to focus on my passion of cooking.
I know this blog got off to a rough start, with a serious lack of frequent postings. But, after “Tastespotting” and reading so many other foodie blogs, I feel rejuvenated to get a good jump on my own project.


Before I start talking about change and things like that, let’s back track, and cover some old news.

Weight loss? I’m walking more, and trying desperately to still tinker with my eating habits, but I haven’t seen any loss significant enough to rejoice. I’m still in my yo-yo phase, but now that the semester is basically over and finals have passed, I feel much more confident about slimming down and toning up. The only good part is that I’ve stayed consistent with my weight; it may not have gone down, but at least it didn’t go up.

Gardening? I have a garden! I couldn’t decide where it should be planted, so it’s all currently a container garden, and I’m using window box containers for my little plants.
Here’s a list of things I am growing/hope to grow this summer: Lettuce, Peas, Eggplant, Broccoli Rabe, Oregano, Purple Potatoes, Ginger, Garlic, Onions, and we’re contemplating a Blueberry bush.
My little pea plants are getting huge, my lettuce is sprouting wildly, and my eggplant is a little slow to start, but it should catch up soon. Once this batch of seedlings are replanted, I’ll start my oregano and Broccoli Rabe, and then buy more window boxes for my roots and underground buddies. If we get the Blueberry Bush, it’ll be added to the existing landscape in the backyard.

Cooking? My cookbook idea hasn’t gone very far, if only due to the fact that I wrote 3-4 papers this semester, two of which had to be seven pages. Now that I can breathe a little more easily, and will have some time to work on a book/compilation idea, I think a themed book might just be a lot to undertake right now. If anything, I’ll take the top (insert number here) recipes I like, and adapt them to be something inspired by the recipes I like, but totally different beasts. Books like my Organic Kitchen cookbook will come in handy, so I can stay organic and seasonal.

I recently purchased a fresh coconut, and after a little online hunting, I found (and tasted) a recipe for a coconut candy. It came out very nicely, even though I used half fresh and half dried, sweetened coconut, and changed a few proportions around to suit what I had. It was tasty, and that’s all I was hoping for.

A blog, Norecipes, has inspired me to “wing it” more often, especially with things I know I enjoy and can cook well. Baking, on the other hand, might still need at the very least ratios to follow but they can always lead to a wonderful avenue of culinary exploration.

I want to be healthy, borrow some good ideas from smart chefs, and still make food my own. Instead of cooking so-and-so’s famous whatever it is, I want to say “Well, so-and-so inspired me to make this dish”. I’ve been good at this kind of thing for a while, but always on a small scale.
My end goal? To be able to cook with whatever is in the house, whenever, and still have it be healthy.

And where will I start? With NoRecipe’s Japanese Curry and Rice. After watching the YouTube video, I feel as though this is something I could almost make en masse, and keep it light and fun. Art will never let me out of the kitchen if I perfect the seasonings on this.

Along with winging it more often, I want to learn to cook a lot of more different styles of food. I’ve got Japanese down pretty well; I’m working on rustic Italian, since I mostly know Italian-American “traditional” foods; I can make some Southern American dishes, but I’m learning more when I can (making those figure friendly is daunting, at best, with a limited budget).
I want to learn other Asian styles, like Indian and Thai Cuisine; I want to learn more rural Chinese dishes and use my wok a lot more often; I might even try my hand at some rustic African dishes, like an Egyptian Lentil spin, or re-visit Ethiopian cuisine (I was only mildly scarred for life the first time I ate Ethiopian. I was 7, a picky eater, and the only thing that was appetizing to me at the time was mashed sweet potatoes, and their NY Style Cheesecake); I need to learn more Scandinavian foods; I’d like to work on some French Provencal dishes; I’d like to cook with alcohol as a flavoring agent more, as well.

Essentially, I want to overcome my food fears, be more adventurous, and expand my boundaries.

It’s a long laundry list of things I’d like to do.
So, how am I going to set about doing this, learn to bake healthier, and still try to keep losing weight?
Easy: Scheduling.
If I keep myself on a regimen of cooking, then bread can be made in no time; I can bake desserts to last the whole week that won’t kill my family’s wallet or waistline; I can try to make at least one new dish a week.

When will this whole adventure begin?
Today is May 10th, so I’m giving myself 2 weeks to compile some new recipes, get used to the idea, and be prepared to take on this self-discipline challenge.

That means that I’ll be posting again on May 24th, and get the ball rolling.
Of course, I’ll be interrupted by some trips, weekend excursions, and the like, but I can now factor in cooking for the Anime Convention, baking and freezing goodies for later in the summer, and give myself a few weeks built-in to rest from this “challenge”.

Did I mention I’m going to Poland for a wedding? I am, in June, so that will be a good time to take a step back, reflect, see how much I have impressed myself yet, or if I need to push myself a little harder when I get home from Europe.

Also, I’m sure somewhere along the line I promised pictures of food, and never delivered. I’m not an A+ photographer, but I’ll do my darndest to keep the camera handy when cooking, so I can show you all the lovely recipes I make.

Until then, keep it light, fun, and be true to yourself.

Your lovely Otaku Cooking Host,
Angie.