To the Universal Recipe and Beyond: A Cook's Odyssey

To be honest, when I began my voyage into cooking for myself, I did know how to cook without a recipe. But if I had a good recipe I followed it exactly. However, my repertoire of favorite recipes was rather small, and I did most of my cooking by memory, i.e. noodles, noodles and more noodles. I knew of a few universal recipes (they provide ingredient categories, suggestions, and proportions, you provide the ingredients) but I felt no need for a recipe in those categories. I already had recipes I liked thank you. I was stuck in orbit although I considered myself a good cook. However, as I have become more faithful in caring for my family, I inched toward an understanding of cooking as an art.

One day, my neighbor causally shared with me how a recipe I gave her could be changed in a variety of ways. This was a major revelation to me. The first time I remember changing a recipe was several years ago when I decided that the oatmeal cookie recipe I had was dry. I tried reducing the oats in the recipe and I was quite pleased with myself because I didn't need to find a better recipe anymore. Later, waiting at some doctor's office, I read an article on Rachael Ray, the “hip” food talk show. She was quoted saying cooking “is not rocket science” when asked about measuring for a recipe. I was getting ready to move out of orbit.

After moving to bush Alaska I have become a lot more money smart about my cooking. We filled our pantry with staples and few processed foods such as spaghetti sauce, crackers, and jam. We eat hot cereal every morning, make all our own bread, and spend very little time food shopping. Subscribing to Full Circle Farm in November, though, is when I really began to see how far I could go in my cooking. In order to have a the greatest variety of food, we decided to become familiar with all vegetables they have to offer. I compare a number of recipes at Allrecipes and other sources and choose what sounds best based on what we have that week. Now I base our meals on beans, rice, potatoes, and our weekly Full Circle Farms box.

The proof that I have discovered a new galaxy came when I compared cookie recipes to create my own universal recipe so I could save time on my Christmas baking. And the critics loved it. I know some of you may have been born in this galaxy, so please forgive my excitement at discovering it. For those of you who are still in orbit, perhaps I will meet you here soon.

Food Explorer,

Verity

BTW: If you are wanting a cooking tip, soak your beans in water that has been brought to a boil, then freeze to dramatically reduce their cooking time.