The book that started it all…
“It’s so simple!” they said… “Just download the blogging software, it’s totally self-explanatory!” …Sure, if you happen to work full-time as a computer programmer! But I think I have it now, and if I am able to save and post this thing, then you will know I was successful, despite refusing to call technical support! If you are reading this, then you probably already know of my obsession with food, and also that I am a glutton for punishment. If not, here’s a little background: I routinely force myself to make food that I may or may not like, and that my children almost certainly won’t eat (to be fair, they are getting better about it, mostly out of self-defense!), all with the goal of putting myself through “culinary school”, via my collection of cookbooks.
This quest was originally inspired by the movie “Julie/Julia”, in which the modern day heroine finds purpose in her life by setting a goal to cook her way through Julia Child’s 524 recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. In one year… Well folks, that’s nuts. No disrespect to Julia, but my life doesn’t need that kind of stress! Still, I loved the idea, and set out to duplicate the experience, but with a chef I admired, the culinary genius/science geek, Alton Brown. I purchased Good Eats: The Early Years because I enjoyed the layout, more like a cross between a high school science textbook and a Ripley’s Believe it or Not! obscure foodie factoid collection than a recipe book. I liked knowing the “why” behind what made tasty food, in addition to a good palate. But I needed to have some added challenge, if I wasn’t going to stick to an insane timeline, right? Enter my self-imposed rules of “No Substitutions”, and “Even if I Think I Will Hate It, I Have to Try a Bite”. Including the Panna Cotta Brain. Also, I had to make every, single recipe EXACTLY as Alton directed, because how could I know if his way was best if I messed with his instructions right out of the gate? From this I learned that while I still hate peppers with a blazing passion, there are recipes where I can see their value. Mostly they are just gross though… There were many times I wanted to quit (building my own smoker rig from a cardboard box, hotplate, cast iron skillet and hickory chips) or just take the easier route (how can traditional fruitcake REALLY call for 24 separate, weird ingredients??) but I stuck with it. Spoiler alert: the smoked salmon was amazing! The fruitcake still sucked… I spent literally thousands of dollars on specialty foods and newfangled kitchen tools I evidently just HAD to have in order to make certain recipes (food mill, anyone? I guarantee I’m the only person in a 50 mile radius who owns one.) I nearly lost my voice on numerous occasions, yelling “just EAT it already!!” to recalcitrant kids who wanted frozen chicken nuggets instead of the Squid Vicious – yes, that’s what it was called! – I had lovingly prepared. I de-beaked a squid, for crying out loud! I didn’t think I would ever complete the task I had set for myself, but after five long years, I finally accomplished it! I had made 155 overly complicated, mostly delicious, 95% successful recipes! And along the way, I became a more knowledgeable and much more fearless home cook. I had posted pictures of several of the recipes on Facebook and received feedback from many people who seemed to enjoy what I was doing, and regretted not having documented my progress better. After the trials and tribulations of working with material from a very complex chef-mentor, I chose my next cookbook for its simplicity, because as I mentioned earlier, I’m a glutton for punishment and decided to do the exercise all over again! My kitchen guru this time around: country living, downhome, good-grub goddess, Ree Drummond, a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman! Her food isn’t complicated. Her food does not require an engineering degree in order to build specific heating units. Her food requires butter, heavy cream, and stretchy pants. Check, check, and CHECK!
This brings me to where I am today… Almost exactly one year ago (the challenge was a 2017 New Year’s Resolution) I decided to cook every recipe out of Ree’s Dinnertime cookbook, but with the intention of photographing and labeling each one, and sharing my experiences along the way on Facebook. I hoped to finish it in one year, but so far I have only managed to complete 90 out of 137 recipes. I dropped the “No Substitutions” rule, but maintained the “Try a Bite” rule. My life was greatly simplified by this, and my ingredient-guilt dropped by at least 83%. Guess what? Peppers still suck. BUT… I found a couple recipes in Dinnertime featuring poblanos that I will absolutely make again! They were delicious.
For 2018, I have decided to go all-in on my commitment to my project by continuing to learn and experiment and most importantly EAT my way through this cookbook, and that is my (long-winded) purpose for this blog. I will start out by completing Dinnertime, then move on to a new Challenge. I have it in mind to tackle my Pinterest Food Board…lord help me!… and also get cracking on Good Eats: The Middle Years. You can bear witness to my successes and failures, and I will share the techniques I learn and thoughts on how I would improve or change the published recipes. I’m not attending culinary school anytime soon, but I can certainly eat like I am! And please… if you want samples, come on by, I always have leftovers!!
