My Cooking Challenge begins

Well, here I am again. In my last post I said I would try to do at least one new recipe a week. Well I may have to change that. You know life happens.

To begin with, I read the first chapters in my cookbook from Weight Watchers, "Healthy Cooking Basics". I really like this one as it talks about Kitchen Tools-The Must Haves and the Nice To Have. I checked pretty much all of these off my list as I already have them. They list : a box grater, can openers, citrus reamer/press, colander, cooling racks, cutting board, good paring, cooks and serrated knives, ladle, measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing spoons, pastry brush, potato mashers, rolling pins, kitchen shears,coarse-mesh sieve slotted spoon, instant read thermometer, spring loaded tongs, vegetable peeler, whisk, spatula, wooden spoons, kitchen time, and a salad spinner . Quite a list, I may add but very essential tools for a good basic kitchen.

The Nice To Have are useful too. They list the fat separator, pastry blender, garlic press, rasp grater, mandoline, blender, handheld electric mixer, microwave, electric griddle, coffee spice grinder, bread machine, food processor, immersion blender, panini press, rice cooker, slow cooker, and a refrigerator stand mixer. I have most of these too.

So as I read through the first two chapters of this book, I thought of how useful it is for people who are very new to cooking. I can see where this would come in handy not just for cooking but for weight lost as well. There is even a section on making you pantry healthy. It lists staples for your shelf, baking staples, refrigerator staples and freezer staples. I am embarking on changing and cleaning out all the old unhealthy stuff and getting rid of it, either toss or give to food banks or kitchen shelters.

The next chapter section focused on 10 Healthy Cooking Techniques. They cover Saute, Stir-Fry, Pan Sear, Steam, Boil and Simmer, Braise, Roast, Broil, Grill, and Bake. They tell you how to do it, what you need, what to try, and how to make it flavorful.

When I start my first recipe, I will talk about what tool I used, what cooking method, and what ingredients I used. I will tell the name of the recipe in the book and the page. I will not copy the full recipe in this blog. If you want the recipe you will have to buy the book. Copy right reasons you know.

So my first take on this will be the Vegetable Stock, p. 30. this should be good. I like stocks in cooking my rice or other grains, even pastas. Gives them more flavor than water, although a few more calories than water but much more flavor. Plus you control the sodium. For some that is a benefit. Be looking for my next post on how this first step went.

Until next time,

Christine

Day 2

Hello, it's Christine again.

Wow I almost lost my blog. Can that really happen in the 'net' world? I could not remember what I named my blog and the . com extension. Remember I am still very raw at all this techno stuff. I much rather stick to what I know and Love. One is Cooking.

Its early Sunday morning here in my household. Everyone still asleep. When I open up my puter to find my blog and thought it was lost, I panicked at first, then went to the history from last night when created and found it. But first, I googled my title. Man I sure found I was not alone in my name, Christine, nor was my idea all that original. Several other people named Christine are also cooks and one is doing the Julia Child thing. There are over 278k entries along the lines of Christine and cooking and journal or journey. Geesh! I wanted to do something original and fun. Well I hope that it will be fun and I will try to make if fun and insightful and a positive learning experience for me and my readers. I hope you will continue to visit my blog and follow my journey. I would appreciate any positive feedback you may have.

Today, I will be at the Wine, Chocolate and More Festival here at the Salem Oregon State Fairgrounds. My first recipe will start this week, so be watching for an entry on that coming soon.

Well have to go and get ready. Still things to do. Hmmm, Wine and Chocolate? Something to ponder.

Until then,

Christine

Starting the Journey

Hello,

Well I never did a blog before so this is my first. I am not much of a writer either, so this too is a work in progress. Let me tell you my purpose to doing all this. I first got my idea from watching the movie, "Julia and Julie", where Julie Powell, who is the author of the true story, decided one day to cook one recipe of Julia Childs 544 recipes everyday for 365 days in one year. She would have to do more than one of course. So she set out to do that and to blog about her experiences.

I decided to do something similar to that by doing all the Weight Watchers Cook books. I am on Weight Watchers and my weight lost has been on the roller coaster. So I figured what the heck, try something new that would be fun and learn more and put what I know to good use. Maybe then something good will happen and I learn something and hopefully, lose weight too. I will start with Kitchen Basics. I will not reprint any recipes here. If you want the recipe, you will have to buy the book. I will tell you the title of book and recipe title and page. I will blog about my experience with this recipe and anything else that happens before, during, and after.

I don't know what I will encounter along the way but should be fun. If anyone would like to respond, I would love to hear from you.

Any cooking experts out there?

Until next time,

Christine