Sure this is not a cooking blog, but hey I don’t eat breathe & sleep fitness every waking hour here in San Diego. I love cooking & of course eating right goes hand in hand with staying healthy. I feel that if you don’t cook for yourself you don’t really appreciate what goes into a meal nor do you know what is in it! I don’t remember where I heard it but it was said that sure eat anything you want – but you have to make all of it from scratch. Yes all of it. Sure you can still drink pop (yes I am from the midwest) like it is going out of style but at least all of those sweets & things that take ridiculous amounts of butter and sugar…may not be as interesting or appealing to make all the time. But moving on to my list.
Planning Can Pay Off
Yes. My name is Damien & I am a planner. Hi Damien. True story. Friends of mine that have known me for a long time – know it also. My girlfriend enjoys pointing it out too. When it comes to cooking, it can (sure not always) pay off. You have all of the ingredients before you start. You know how long it will take. All of the logical reasons follow. Me, I appreciate the art of prepping ingredients before all the fun begins. Thus all of the chopping, un-thawing, herbs chopped, measuring of things in separate bowls, marinades mixed and ready to go is done. That way once my spirited cooking begins (I move fast) everything is ready for my timeline.
Just like cooking, planning for what is coming around the corner can pay off. I say “can” as we all know 1. you can’t plan for everything & 2. if you plan too much & you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Experience helps as it does in many situations.
“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”
-Julia Child
Booze
Uh uh, that caught your eye. Cooking with booze is great. White wine simmering with some fish, butter & salt & pepper. Great excuse to sip some yourself while cooking too. Throw some chicken in ziploc bag with some cheap beer, ginger, cilantro & light seasonings & let it sit for 8 hours or so. Soo good. Of course just like drinking you don’t want to overdo it..but just enough is perfect.
I don’t think I really need to give you some deep analogy about booze and life. It’s great & has a time and place. Just be careful if you “take a ride into the time machine” as a good friend of mine describes it. I am done with those days, for sure…or at least I rarely get in line for that ride.
Sometimes $hit Is Horrible
I have made meals that were careening down the hill of edible and crashing into un-edible (luckily most of the time those meals were only for myself). God knows what happened & no amount of covering up of flavors will help. But the good meals outnumber any mistakes that I have learned from…and of course make the good meals even better.
Life can throw some nasty curveballs. I have been through many weeks, months etc if I was wondering if something was testing me. The sky was truly falling. Tough times suck. We all have different ways of pushing through it. But one thing for sure coming out on the other side gives you much more perspective about life & what is really worth complaining & stressing about.
You Can Be Creative
I don’t really cook with a cookbook. Only when I am baking something like a cake or bread that can call for some precise measurements. Other than that if I do look at a recipe its just the general reasons like how long to cook or temperature. Cooking from scratch gives you the opportunity to try something out. It does not have to be complex. It could just be throwing some veggies in a pan and some fish on top of it with seasonings and walking away. Also without a recipe you can just use what you have in your kitchen & forget about worrying about that missing ingredient…or substitute something! I have found cooking with a bit of molasses really really good. You never know.
Being creative is a big part of life. Sometimes we all may think we are not creative but everybody is in their own way. You don’t have to be an artist to be creative. Being creative is what makes us individuals and human. If are lucky you are able to bring out that creativity in your or job….or you are able to express it hobbies or fun activities when you are not working.
It is Fun To Cook, Even More Fun For Someone Else
Cooking for someone or a group can be fun. Especially if everybody is hanging out while things are getting prepared. Note I did not say all hands were in the kitchen. I am like my mom, I will ask for help if I need it! It is awesome when people really appreciate the time it took to make something. As someone that loves their veggies I always get a kick out of people are amazed about how good fill in the blank veggie was. Veggies are so yummy when you prepare them in one of the many ways.
You don’t need a load of friends. Having a good set of solid friends just makes life great. Celebrate the great times & be a shoulder to lean on during the tough ones. The good friends will see you through those tough ones. The ones that fall off, well c’es la vie!! And lastly if you are fortunate to have met your partner in crime in life that as your significant other, it is a gift.
That is my cooking spiel. Maybe I will try to remember to take pictures of some of the meals I throw down so I can post them. I often forget to do that.
As always if you have any inquiries about my Personal Training services here in San Diego (nope not my cooking services) feel free to contact me at incrementalfit.com.
-Damien
Great post. Now cook for me!