I love to cook. I really do. I find it so relaxing and I can let my creativity flow. Ever since I was little I have always watched my Dad cook everything from bacon to stews and pies and puddings. I love the smells and the flavours. Like Dad, I like reading recipe books and cooking magazines to get lots of ideas. Whether we follow the recipe or not is a different matter and that is the beauty of cooking. The experimentation. Working out what looks good with what, what tastes good with what, and what smells good.
My Mum, on the other hand, is a very simple cook. I remember when I was about five or six Mum was cooking sausages under the grill and she had left them for a minute too long; all of a sudden smoke was billowing out of the kitchen and the sausages were on fire. She even burns toast in the toaster! But recently she has been trying harder to cook more complex dishes. She cooks a mean Lancashire Hot Pot.
Dad likes to take every opportunity to cook for people. Someone coming round for lunch? Small gathering? Massive party? He will always feed an army.
I like to bake cakes. I am a cupcake fiend and would love to be able to churn out delectable cupcakes and make the world a happier place. Everyone needs a cupcake! I bought myself a giant cupcake mould a few months back and I'm telling you, its not easy to get it right! Cupcakes themselves can be quite tricky to get perfect every time with gorgeous frosting, but the big ones are worse. My mould is two parts which makes it easier for timings. Or so you'd think. The top is about half the quantity of the lower but takes twice as long to cook, and even then the middle is sometimes still soggy and the outside is almost burnt. But I like the experimentation of the process. And I'm starting to get the other half into it too which is nice. He has made himself head taster. Its difficult to sometimes get him to stop eating the batter in case he eats the lot!
I have also got into making fudge. It is SO easy I don't know why I haven't tried it before. Again, the other half helps me make it because there is alcohol involved. He hasn't quite picked up that the more alcohol involved, the less it sets. But it tastes good which is the point. I have made Rum and Raisin fudge which is really good. The first batch didn't set properly as Other Half decided to sneak in alot of rum whilst I had my back turned... Cheeky! The last batch was a White Chocolate and Baileys fudge which, for some reason, even though I put in all the correct quantities REALLY didn't set. So we ended up turning it into a take on Cheesecake. Without the cheese. It was nice, put crushed digestives and melted butter all mixed up in the bottom of a flan dish and put the failed fudge on top. Very sweet and a bit alcoholic but nice.
My cooking opportunity today comes courtesy of a good friend who I haven't seen in a number of years. I do get to cook with my lovely other half but today I get free range of the kitchen without 'extra hands'. I was going to cook a roast as I was expecting the boys to be around but one is working and the other is a free spirit. He can cook himself a pizza later- he is incredibly fussy and difficult to cook for so is used to fending for himself in the freezer. Because of this, I have decided to make it quite simple. Tagliatelle Carbonara with streaky bacon and mushrooms for main, and Poached Pears in white wine with a chocolate sauce for desert. I have cooked these two for dinner a few times before and it has gone down rather well so lets hope today its just as successful! I shall try and put up pictures through the process if I can work out how to.
Wish me luck!!
Bunny x
No comments:
Post a Comment