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Home made spices
Jul. 29th, 2009 09:16 amOne of the things I love most about vintage cook books is how every recipe seems to revolve around spices - and the importance of them.
I often thumb through my old cook books for flavor inspiration *gulp* and more often than not will find it through a totally un-vegan recipe. But I'm okay with that! I'm actually really excited about that! These wonderful old cook books have inspired me to start making my own spices - which I plan on sharing more of as they increasingly become a staple in my own recipes.
- Dried Green Bell Pepper -
Finely chopped and dehydrated for roughly one full day.
Grind it up in a coffee grinder (my kitchen tool of choice!) to make a powder that is wonderful in so many things,
or use like you would Paprika for a sharper sweeter taste. It adds such a wonderful new burst of flavor.
Sometimes I feel sad about how so many americans choose to eat their food, forgetting that it can be a wonderful experience, and even more so if you know every single ingredient that is in your food --- and even more so if you've made it yourself!
I think a lot of us loose the ability to love and appreciate what we eat due to the fact that (more often than not) we don't eat it to TASTE, and enjoy it, but rather to fill our bellies, or fill our cravings. When we're hungry we eat - and too often forget to think about the beauty of food, and the relationship we have (or don't have) with it.
Happy food makes happy people.
But how do you make food "happy"?
My sister pointed out to me over this past weekend that I have a sort of ritual when it comes to the food I eat --- she compared it to "praying before a meal", only instead of praying I (attempt to) plate the food in a pretty manner, and take a bunch of pictures. I realized that in a round about way this was my version of "prayer". If I slow down enough to enjoy the beauty of my food (in all dimensions) then my relationship with what I eat is broadened, and I really just fall in love with every taste and texture that touches my taste buds. It really is a lovely way to have a meal.
I dunno - I rarely write like this...so I'm done now. :)
~xo
I often thumb through my old cook books for flavor inspiration *gulp* and more often than not will find it through a totally un-vegan recipe. But I'm okay with that! I'm actually really excited about that! These wonderful old cook books have inspired me to start making my own spices - which I plan on sharing more of as they increasingly become a staple in my own recipes.
- Dried Green Bell Pepper -
Finely chopped and dehydrated for roughly one full day.
Grind it up in a coffee grinder (my kitchen tool of choice!) to make a powder that is wonderful in so many things,
or use like you would Paprika for a sharper sweeter taste. It adds such a wonderful new burst of flavor.
Sometimes I feel sad about how so many americans choose to eat their food, forgetting that it can be a wonderful experience, and even more so if you know every single ingredient that is in your food --- and even more so if you've made it yourself!
I think a lot of us loose the ability to love and appreciate what we eat due to the fact that (more often than not) we don't eat it to TASTE, and enjoy it, but rather to fill our bellies, or fill our cravings. When we're hungry we eat - and too often forget to think about the beauty of food, and the relationship we have (or don't have) with it.
Happy food makes happy people.
But how do you make food "happy"?
My sister pointed out to me over this past weekend that I have a sort of ritual when it comes to the food I eat --- she compared it to "praying before a meal", only instead of praying I (attempt to) plate the food in a pretty manner, and take a bunch of pictures. I realized that in a round about way this was my version of "prayer". If I slow down enough to enjoy the beauty of my food (in all dimensions) then my relationship with what I eat is broadened, and I really just fall in love with every taste and texture that touches my taste buds. It really is a lovely way to have a meal.
I dunno - I rarely write like this...so I'm done now. :)
~xo
