Thursday, June 09, 2011

Comfort in the Kitchen

Last week I had the urge to cook. Monday morning, (after midnight Sunday night actually) I kicked off by preparing the ingredients for a meat sauce for pasta. Monday morning before my appointment with the rheumatologist I browned the mince and tossed everything into the crockpot before leaving.

Lib asked me to buy chicken schnitzels for dinner so I visited Dandenong plaza where there's a large fuit and veg shop with produce much cheaper than in Emerald, as well as a butcher, fish shop, and anything else you want. In the butcher shop next to the schnitzels were ox tails on special, so ox tail stew was the go Tuesday morning.

Grant, a keen vegie gardener who lives where I pick camellia on Tuesdays, offered me some leeks, so Wednesday morning it was potatoe and leek soup. Thursday morning I eyed off a pumpkin we grew at home last summer, thinking to myself that this year's pumpkins were watery and not premium as a plate vegie, so Thursday morning it was pumpkin soup.

This cooking of course involves quite a bit of cutting up and preparation, and has an amazing calming affect on me. It's wonderful therapy, a bridge over troubled water. I think it's in the affirmative action it gives me, and the focus on something simple but helpful and enjoyed by the whole family.

Slow cookers are great as you can leave them on low all day. I bought another won at ALDI recently for $29. Can you believe that? Yesterday I did a pea and ham soup to go with the wintry weather. The fridge and freezer is stocked with delicious soup and stew.

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