1. My son's father is a trained, professional chef, so when we were married, he did all the cooking, I did all the eating. A habit a woman could really get used to.
2. When we divorced, I decided I better lose that weight I so happily gained eating all that delicious food, so I cut out all the good stuff-butter, sugar, bacon, cream, etc.
3. Who has time to cook?? Let's be honest. I get impatient waiting for water to boil, just so I can throw a pre made jar of pasta sauce on some noodles. And following a recipe is not my strong suit. I often substitute ingredients that really have no business being in the recipe at all.
But the ritual of cooking is therapeutic, comforting, and rewarding on so many levels. When I have time, and I'm not on some uber restrictive diet, and all the stars are aligned, I can cook, and I really enjoy myself.
When my ex was going through cooking school, he said one of the most difficult dishes to prepare was a souffle, so naturally I put it out of my mind. I can't follow a simple recipe, let alone a high maintenance one that has me separating eggs, beating the whites at 180 beats per minute till stiff peaks form, grating and folding in exotic cheeses, and baking at just the right temperature for exactly the right amount of time. However, I recently watched "Julie and Julia", a darling movie about a young woman who cooks her way through Julia Child's cookbook, and records her daily progress (and flops) on a blog. I was inspired. If she could do it, so could I. Souffle is both fun to eat and say. I like to throw my voice and hand up in the air at the end of the word ala ole. SOUFFLE!!
My souffle nearly doubled in size when it came out of the oven, the first sign of a successful souffle, and it was absolutely delicious, the second sign. Mission accomplished. I proved to myself that I CAN cook fussy French dishes, and as an added bonus, dinner was served for that evening. Voila!
Julia Child's cheese souffle recipe
Bon Appetit!
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