cooking and stuff....

So many things going on in my life....trying to accomplish things is really difficult.  One of the things I am working on is blogging some of my recipes.  I will say, that I use cook books and the internet for the recipes.  I make them once then I use that as a base and start changing things.  One thing I have learned about cooking....well a few things rather!  Anyone can cook...however being a good cook takes some finesse, practice and education!!!  When I got married in 1999 I didn't even know how to make rice!  Then, years later I had some birthday money burning a hole in my fabulous Hobo wallet (best wallets EVER BTW :)  and decided to go into Williams Sonoma, I had always walked by that store and wanted to go in, so pretty and colorful, but since I didn't cook it was useless...but I decided today to go in!  I bought a bunch of fun cooking stuff and decided to start watching the Food Network, which I did, actually that was all I started watching!   In that time I was just absorbing, learning and understanding food, properties of different foods etc.  Things that would take years to learn by trial and error, if ever!  For example, Williams Sonoma's website has free recipes, you can search for anything and its most likely there!  They are wonderful and easy, always turn out great!  I used it constantly...but I digress.... I found a recipe for brownies on there, there is a part of the recipe that calls for you to add beaten eggs to the hot batter!  Thankfully I had learned how to temper an egg on Food Network. the recipe takes for granted that you would know not to add the eggs straight up as it would obviously scramble...but years prior, I would not have known that at all!!  

I have spent a lot of years being single and not wanting to cook for one, till recently, I decided to pick back up my old love...so I am learning to cook recipes that either store and re-heat well or I can make for one and its still worth it!!!  I will try to get some recipes up, I have some awesome ones!!!!

Some important things for cooking also is having the right tools, so as I come across good stuff I will write about it.  Along with all my home improvement, that is still going on, I just haven't had time to really do anything that would be interesting to blog about :)   School is out in a few weeks for a little break, I will power through some projects that are bound to be a mess, making a great blog!

So back to chef's tools... I have learned that in the kitchen I do not like a bunch of gadgets and crap!  I like a few good quality tools and I like a little old school cooking.  I love chopping and using my amazing knife!  I bought a Shun knife at Williams Sonoma about 8 years ago, it was a brand new knife in their collection, its the Ken Onion chef's knife.  Previously I just had my knives from our wedding that were like $50 for the block.  They were great when I only needed a knife to open a box from time to time, but when I started cooking I needed knives! So the lady at the store said I was better off getting a good chef's knife, a paring knife and a bread knife.   So instead of buying lots of medium priced knifes, I invested in a $200 Shun chef's knife!  I still have it and still get excited every time I pull it out to use it!  There are two types of  people when it comes to using a knife...there are choppers, more of a traditional japans style, going straight down, then there are rockers, those who like to rock and roll their chopping.  The choppers would like the santuko style japansese knife, straight flat blade, here is a beautiful example (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/shun-ken-onion-hollow-ground-santoku-knife/?pkey=cknives-shun.)  Where you see hollow ground that is referring to the groves in the knife, it is said to eliminate food sticking to the blade.   The rockers would like more of a western style chef's knife, a curved blade.   Here is a good example of a rocking chef's knife (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/shun-reserve-chefs-knife/?pkey=cknives-shun).    I love Shun knifes, I will never use anything else!  I need to try more of their knives, but they are pricey, worth it!  I have had mine 8 years and never had to sharpen it!!! They don't need to be as expensive as this! I just found the coolest ones to put here :)    

Also I use All Clad cookware!  I took a bonus I earned at work and went and bought the set!  It was about $650!  That was about 8 or 9 years ago.  These are items I will have for the rest of my life and will be giving to my daughter some day!  They are hands down the best cookware!!!  They are as beautiful today as they were all that time ago!

Anyway, I am tired, I have so much to say about cooking!  But this will be it for tonight!  

Have a good night!  If anyone reads this and has any questions please leave me a comment :)