So today, I thought I'd giveaway a book. In fact, this book:
Chef's Story is a great read where, you guessed it, chefs talk about what got them into the kitchen. Personally, my favorites are the essays by Jacques Torres & Lidia Bastianich.
So here's what you do: Just leave me a comment and let me know what got you cooking? Parents working? (That's mine). Love for the perfect cream puff? Desperation? A strong desire to never eat Ramen noodles again?
I'll pick my favorite and declare (drumroll please), the winner! If you're local you can swing by to grab it, if not, good old first class post will help it to arrive safely. Don't send addresses yet, I'll get in touch once the winner is chosen.
All entries must be received by Tuesday, July 21 at midnight. One teeny-tiny little note: This book is from my personal collection and has been previously loved. It's in great shape and is a great read. And hey, it's free, right? Happy commenting!
4 comments:
Hey, I'll bite. Sounds like my kind of book!
I guess I really got cooking when my mom gave me the job as a teenager to make the bread and cookies for the family. That's how I spent my Saturdays. Then I progressed to wanting to do meals and did things like a Hawaiian theme (Waikiki meatballs) and I'd decorate like a little Martha S.
I think I was a little strange or something!
I'm giving away pottery in a contest at my blog. Come on over!
Thinking back, it was, in a word: unemployment. I had just moved to Atlanta (following a boy, now my husband), and didn't have a job yet. But we did have cable.
If there's one thing I hate more than soap operas, it's daytime talk shows, so I watched a lot of Food Network. Growing up, my mom cooked a lot of things like Spam, fried bologna, vienna sausages. It had never occurred to me that cooking could be creative and fun. I thought it was just something you had to do if you wanted to eat.
In that six months or so before I found a job in Atlanta, I watched the chefs on TV and thought, "well, that doesn't look so hard." And I started experimenting. There were some bad dishes (including a meatloaf not even the cat would touch), but nearly everything was at least edible. Cooking has since become my creative outlet. I am thankful for that six months, even if it is embarrassing to admit I learned to cook from Food TV!
What got me cooking … Being on my own and trying to impress a man.
The second date, with my now husband, was prepared by a friend. My male friend, of the same name as my husband (kinda odd), cooked a great meal that I played off as my own cooking. He left out the back door, as the boyfriend came in the front door.
The boyfriend finally found out that I couldn’t cook on the fourth date when I burnt the rice and we had to go out for dinner; all the truth came out. The boyfriend stayed around, became my husband, and enjoyed the learning curve of my cooking. Over these twenty years I mastered the cooking. I even traveled with my Kitchen Aid blender when we lived in two different states to prepare my, oh so wonderful, cheesecakes. Even more special because I always made the cheesecakes for him because I don’t like cheesecake. I just wish I had more time for the cooking these days and I enjoy when we prepare meals for family and friends together!
When I was little, I always had my head in a pot or bowl helping my Mom cook (tasting too) I thought magic was coming out of the oven. She always made everything from scratch. I learned so much from my Mom. Feelin g very confident when I got married, I tried to follow in her footsteps. Sometimes I succeeded and well you know, it's a learning experience. Shortly after my Daughter Natalie was born, she passed away. She loved her very much. As the years went along Natalie had a strong passion for cooking just like me. I was so thrilled when at 7 she was making her own lunch of Mac and Cheese. Everytime I see her cooking or baking that takes me back to the time I was younger in the kitchen with my mom. It is very special knowing she will be following in my Mom's footsteps.
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