Recipes

I originally thought I would avoid posting recipes on my blog. I didn't think anybody would be interested. But my good friend (thanks Michele!) mentioned her need for recipes that she could make in her rural Indian kitchen. I realized that maybe others like her would benefit from some simple, adaptable recipes that can be made in a kitchen with limited ingredients and equipment. So whatever country you live in, I hope you can learn from and enjoy the recipes I share with you here.

My goal when creating food can be summed up in three words: healthy, quick, and tasty. If it fails in any of those areas it's usually not worth repeating. Except that I do make exceptions for special occasions, holidays, comfort foods, favorites, birthdays, weekends...

I enjoy eating, cooking, and anything that is food related, but food can sometimes be a challenge. One reason is that Little Bear and I have to eat gluten and dairy free. Meaning we have to avoid most of the things that make food easy and tasty. Also, living here in western China, ingredient options are different than what can be found easily in the States. So much time could be wasted trying to recreate "convenience" foods. When convenience food is inconvenient, it is no longer a convenience food. Wow, that was profound.

I also follow recipes very loosely. I like to figure out which key ingredients make the food taste like what it's supposed to, and then change it to my liking and what I have on hand. I'm a big fan of America's Test Kitchen because each of their recipes has an explanation of the techniques, ingredients, and amounts. I've learned a lot just from reading their recipes, even though I still don't follow them exactly. My theory is, if you learn the science behind the recipe, you no longer need the recipe. Unless it's the recipe for my mom's amazing banana bread. No, no, that recipe must be followed exactly so that it always tastes just like it always did. Warm, sweet, crisp on the outside, slightly gooey at the top...Mmmm!

Chicken Soup