Not Always a Dangerous Thing!

Life is busy! Getting to the blog requires time and there hasn’t been a whole lot of that going around. Cathy, the Pastry Chef Sibling, is back in Brooklyn packing all her belongings (and considerable baking supplies) for the move to Wales. We are a little disheveled around here to say the least.

BUT… people have to eat and a meal is a good way for Cathy to have time with friends before her departure. So what to serve? I quickly grabbed the most recent copy of Bon Appetite and choose a recipe from the ‘quick and easy’ section (I think that’s what it’s called). Dinner was a success. Grilled asparagus, shallots and chicken cutlets with quinoa on the side. What’s quinoa? There’s a future blog entry for certain about this grain, but right now, I’m thinking about sources.

For last night’s meal the original idea came from a magazine. Gourmet may not be around anymore, but if you cruise the magazine section at your local bookstore, there may be something there that appeals to you. Magazines deal with seasonal suggestions and often have sections about technique… usually with an illustration to help. Then there is always the companion website as well.

Last night, I knew that I wanted to add quinoa to the menu, but as I haven’t cooked it all that often (and truth be told, I like to use a recipe for most things), I needed to get some help. Doing a search on www.epicurious.com/ (a recipe site) got me started and then I cross-referenced it in one of my basic books, How To Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman. By looking at a couple of sources, the principles about how to cook this particular grain were easier to grasp.

I know that cook books can be daunting, which is why I started this blog to begin with, but I suspect that some of you (are you listening Gerald?) may be ready to expand your culinary horizons. Don’t be afraid of a little more information, it’s not always a dangerous thing!