Delicious-ness

I may have mentioned before that I'm a good cook. Actually, I love cooking. So many people in my life don't get why I like it so much, but there's so much I like about it. For instance, seeing a fruit or vegetable and getting inspired to try something new, right there on the spot. Or perhaps the therapeutic qualities in the repetition of stirring a pot of soup. Or the magic of having a gravy or cream sauce come together right before your eyes. Amazing.

There is so much about cooking to love, but I would have to say the top of my list is the look on someone's face when you serve them a meal that is both delicious and beautiful to look at. See, that's the key my friends. You must make your meal appear appetizing. Some foods just can't be made to look delicious, so they must overwhelm the recipient with aromas too appetizing to refuse. When I get it right, the look is indescribable. There is this anticipation and pure happiness. 

I don't bake or make sweet things very well (or very often as a result.) Making savory things that make people's mouths water is an art. When you read this, do not read that I think I'm perfect, or that it happens for me every time. Neither of those things are true. Sometimes people are pleased but don't give you that look. However, the times that I have gotten that look cannot be beat. For that reason alone I would cook, but thankfully there are so many more reasons. 

The hardest thing for most people to understand is how I can come home from a horribly long day and cook a meal for someone else. I have one simple answer, for me, cooking is relaxing. I know of nothing else that soothes my soul like the smell of onions and garlic, or the feeling of my knife in my hand. There's nothing quite like the sound of a boiling pot of water with delicious pasta rolling around inside. Or the incredibly strong and overpowering scent of balsamic vinegar hitting a screaming hot pan (be careful with this one, there's nothing like the searing pain in your nostrils if you catch it at full strength.) The smell of red wine and mushrooms is something you cannot miss. How can these things NOT relax you? 

Cooking is not work. Cooking is or should be fun and relaxing. A lot of things do not work right the first time you try them. So you do them again and again until they do work right. Some recipes are really hard and frustrating. Those are meant for lazy Sunday afternoons where you are already relaxed and up for a challenge. So friends, take a chance and make something you would have never made before or at least try changing your attitude about cooking to something that's less of a chore and more of a delight. 

Bon appetit!