Contemplations of Cooking

As I am standing here cooking a fairly new standby dinner of Chicken Milanese, braised radishes, and green beans, I am contemplating how much I have come to love cooking. Yesterday I was reading Real Simple magazine, and the July issue posed a question of readers-"If you were given one extra day off this summer, what would you do?" My mind immediately raced to all of the things I never have time to do, sleeping in, running to the post office, fitting in a good workout, but then I realized I wanted a little more time to contemplate before I jumped to a typical conclusion.

Today I was in front of my computer, working the 9-5, mind racing to solve the current problem at hand, when I stepped back for a second, and reflected on the question from Real Simple; what would I do with one additional free vacation day this summer? I thought about it, and decided to just free think, and determined my answer, from the heart. No exercise, no pleasing others but myself, enjoying and savoring every last moment of the things that I love. And here it is: I would wake up in the early morning to a cup of coffee with milk and a strawberry chocolate chip muffin. I would eat that glorious breakfast while reading a fascinating novel. After a relaxing breakfast I would head to the nearest farmer's market to buy ingredients and tools necessary to bake the latest on my to do list, and purchase foods for making a lovely dinner. After baking my recipe, I would head to the beach for a snooze and some more light reading. The beach would relax me, and give me some quality "Me" time. Finally, I would finish my day by cooking a delicious dinner for Jack and our friends. We would enjoy delectable, thoughtful food and wine, and end the night with some good conversation and plans for another tomorrow.
Cooking has made me appreciate a quality meal, but more importantly, it has taught me to be a cook for those I love, and to love to cook for those who care.

Three months or so ago when I started to really get into cooking, I never thought that it would become a passion of mine, and yet here I am. braised radish in left hand, blog on right hand, and a whole lotta love in the middle.

Speaking of love, here's a few pictures from my new love-Nice, France. Jack and I recently took a vacation here, and definitely want to go back. Think markets, wine, and beach. Life couldn't get much better...




The last picture is of "Socca" a traditional chickpea flour flatbread. Delicious!