Starting the Journey Journal

A while ago, I started a blog for my husband Jeff. He's an actor and a painter and his blog covers the latter. In fact, he does a special small painting each day and posts it (link is on the side). I've started, recently, attempting to work my way through "The Artist's Way"... one of the biggest tasks is a daily journal. I'm required to write three whole pages every morning. Happily, I can babble as much as I want... and babble I do. Well, it occurred to me, while Artist Waying, that I could set my OWN blog up (like my husband's) to document my various cooking foibles.

In effect, it's like embarking on a SECOND journal! But this one is specific to cooking. I love cooking. I love everything about it. It's peaceful, meditative and rewarding. It's preparation for entertaining (which I also love). It's broadening and challenging and a million other great words. It's also the way I "talk" to my Mom. Most of what I learned in the realm of cooking came right from this wonderful woman whom I was lucky enough to call my best friend. More about her to come - it's inevitable as she is inextricably tied to any kitchen endeavor I undertake.

So... what about cooking am I planning to write? It's pretty simple. Every week I gather a handful of recipes. I subscribe to a zillion magazines, I have some great cookbooks and I play around on epicurious.com. On Sunday, I gather a bunch of ingredients and cook up as many dishes as possible. The goal is to fill the fridge for the following week.

I'm going to write about these recipes. How did it go? Did it turn out? Was it yummy? Did it stink? How many cuts, burns, scrapes and bruises did I get out of the recipe? Yes, I'm serious about that last one. Every time I cook, I emerge later from our tiny kitchen with battle wounds.

I'll also let you know if I feel I've channeled Judy. Judy, as you guessed, is my Mom. I will always be thinking of her when I cook... but only occasionally will I feel I've conquered something as she would have.

Bonne Chance to me and Bon Appetit!