I lost something of myself a while ago. As a result, I am going through the tandem processes of a divorce and self-(re)discovery. I won't talk too much about the divorce here as this is not the place for it, but I feel it is important to mention as it is part of the foundation of this blog. My motivation for writing this is keeping myself honest as I try to reclaim those little bits of me that I abandoned or let get rusty. When you go through a divorce, self-care becomes something you learn about. I think anyone who goes through stress learns about it. What I learned was that I wasn't very good at it, strongly preferring to focus my attention on others. So I started setting myself challenges as a way to meet myself (if that sounds strange, please believe me - I feel like someone I didn't know a year ago, so it's apt) and explore what it is that I like, what is good for me. I surprised myself by keeping a photo-a-day project going into its third year. I challenged my bookworm self to try yoga and found out I loved it. I am working on my Master's thesis, challenging myself with opinions and theories that I had never been exposed to before. Through each of these things and a bunch of others, I am learning things about myself that I didn't know. I've reclaimed activities that I thought I'd never get back to. What a ride.
One thing I want to reclaim is my passion for being in the kitchen. It's been missing for a while, and I'd like it back. I've been cooking to feed myself, sure. I've even been cooking for others, baking to take things into the office, that kind of thing. But I find it's easier to do a good job when I am doing it for others. I'd like to learn how to do it for me. Hence the blog. I am better at keeping to my self-imposed challenges if I tell other people they are happening, and if other people take an interest. I think most people are like that - better as social creatures rather than existing in a vacuum. So here it is. My attempt at cooking my way through an entire cookbook in 2013. You are welcome to observe. ^_^
The book I have chosen is one that I already own, but have yet to cook much from: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.
I have chosen this book for a couple of reasons:
I have chosen this book for a couple of reasons:
1) I have been doing a lot of thinking about the intersection of consumerism and experience, and figure why buy a new book when I have one already that I haven't fully experienced. I want things around me to be both beautiful and useful.
2) The photography (shot by Jonathan Lovekin) is amazing and I find it very inspiring.
3) The book is vegetarian, a cooking style which suits my student-sized budget and my preference for eating meat only a few times a month. I figure it will also help me to learn how to meal plan, which will be a good skill to have.
4) The flavour profile is influenced by the Middle East, which I don't have a lot of experience with, so it will be an adventure.
5) The recipes don't look ridiculously complicated, which makes preparing them on a weeknight feasible. There aren't a lot of things called for that I don't already have or can't make myself, so I am not completely redesigning my pantry for the sake of this challenge.
There are roughly 130 recipes in this book (check out the table of contents on the Amazon "Look Inside" function to see more; I love how he organizes the chapters). I am aiming for making two or three recipes a week - I'll adjust as needed given travel and such. I don't plan to have a regular update schedule as that kind of thing doesn't work so well for me (so no "always on Monday and Wednesday" kind of thing). I plan to write up a post each time I cook something from Plenty, with my observations on how the recipe went, any adjustments I made, etc. And pictures, because that is always fun. I don't have a lot of experience with food photography, so there is another skill I can improve as this goes on. I'll probably also include other things I make that are not from this book, as it doesn't include a lot of baking and I bake a fair amount. As this is a project for myself, I am not going to go to extensive effort to accommodate for dietary restrictions that are not my own, but I will make sure that if I make a substitution, I'll mention it. Mostly so I have a record of what I did that doesn't involve getting pen all over the actual book. ^_~
Here's to a good year.
There are roughly 130 recipes in this book (check out the table of contents on the Amazon "Look Inside" function to see more; I love how he organizes the chapters). I am aiming for making two or three recipes a week - I'll adjust as needed given travel and such. I don't plan to have a regular update schedule as that kind of thing doesn't work so well for me (so no "always on Monday and Wednesday" kind of thing). I plan to write up a post each time I cook something from Plenty, with my observations on how the recipe went, any adjustments I made, etc. And pictures, because that is always fun. I don't have a lot of experience with food photography, so there is another skill I can improve as this goes on. I'll probably also include other things I make that are not from this book, as it doesn't include a lot of baking and I bake a fair amount. As this is a project for myself, I am not going to go to extensive effort to accommodate for dietary restrictions that are not my own, but I will make sure that if I make a substitution, I'll mention it. Mostly so I have a record of what I did that doesn't involve getting pen all over the actual book. ^_~
Here's to a good year.
Yay! I just discovered your blog after searching for a recipe for the Winter Slaw. I attended a pot luck this weekend where I tried an amazing slaw, and of course it turned out to be the Winter Slaw and of course the cookbook has been sitting unused on my shelf since I received it as a gift a few months ago. Now's the time to explore it along with you!
ReplyDeleteHi Amy!
DeleteI'm really excited that you are getting to explore such an awesome book. If you feel up to it, let me know what you decide to make and what you think about it, as I always love to hear other people's take on a recipe.
Also, just made the Watermelon and Feta from the back of the book and it is AMAZING. I am currently travelling and forgot to snag the pictures from my camera before I left, but I'll post it when I get home next week.
Happy cooking!
Hey Shea! I was interested in your title "A Year of Plenty," and I wondered what that meant. After reading this first post, I wondered how you feel about your blog about half-way through the year? Do you feel as though this has helped you meet yourself again? (What you say doesn't sound crazy at all. I've gone through something that sounds similar after a long-term relationship ended of wondering "who is this person who's staring back at me in the mirror? I don't know her.") Also, do you think you'll keep your blog going after 2013?
ReplyDeleteHi Penny!
ReplyDeleteThe title was partly my wish for focusing on the things and skills I have and have in abundance during a time where certain kinds of uncertainty and scarcity were happening. I find life is easier to get through with that kind of focus. It's also a quietly nerdy reference to the board game Settlers of Catan, which I love; one of the development cards in the game is called "Year of Plenty" and it gives you a small windfall of what you need the most.
Halfway through the year, I find that I enjoy this project more than I thought I would. It hasn't become a chore like I suspected it might, and every now and then a new person will tell me (usually in person) that they are reading it and appreciate that it's out there which is gratifying. It's sometimes tough to commit to more postings due to struggles with depression and budget, but that has also been the source of good learning experiences for me personally, so I try not to feel to guilty that there aren't updates all the time. I am finding that I am sort of getting bored being in the same book all the time though. I think if I continue this project into 2014, I won't put such a restriction on my source material. It was great as a focusing mechanism and I am glad I am working through it as outlined instead of giving up on it (more personal lessons in finishing what I start ^_~), but I like variety.
Has it helped me meet myself again as I'd hoped? Definitely. It's woken me up to how much my passion for cooking is actually a passion, not just a hobby. I was just in Edmonton; upon my return to Regina the things I shared with friends were foodstuffs I'd bought and pictures of the foods I'd seen that I hadn't been able to bring home. Most people have souvenirs, or pictures of their friends. ^_^ It has also helped me be more deliberate about taking care of myself and making that an immediate priority, which is something I struggle with. And it's brought a lot of joy back into cooking for others and sharing dining experiences with them, and that was something so completely burnt out of me when I started I worried it wouldn't recover.
I am not sure if I will continue the blog after 2013, but I am not adverse to it. I have surprised myself by keeping another project going into its third year, so it's not impossible that this one might continue. If it does, I would like to open it up to more sources, like I said earlier, but I'd still like some kind of focus. I'll have to think on that a bit more.
Good questions, thank you!