I try to be a reasonably frugal cook, but one thing I have learned is to not skimp on is kitchen tools. Good tools are a gift you give yourself that keeps on giving. And it’s not always the spendy tools that are good ones. This spoon, for instance was about $4. As you can see, it broke right off! And before that, it leaked water out of that band into my pots and pans. Blech!
These two are better spoons. Surprisingly enough, I only paid about a buck a piece for them, one at Wal-Mart, one at Dollar Tree. The dark blue one is the DT one, and it’s made of melamine. Truly an awesome spoon, BUT. That little black dot is rubber and it was attached to a larger rubber piece on the back of the handle. The glue was apparently not dishwasher safe, because that back piece came off. This doesn’t effect the way the spoon performs, though, and they also have holed spoons and spatulas and pancake turners at Dollar Tree. The next time I go there, I will be getting a few more, I think.
Next up is what may possibly be my favorite spoon ever, and these hands have held a lot of spoons. I got it in a pack for different tools for $4 or $5. We love them all, and they are the first ones we reach for. Come to think of it, I would almost rather have more of these than more of the melamine ones.
WOW: you don’t want to get caught by surprise with a wooden spoon.
I was looking through my photo cards trying to find some pictures I had taken for this blog of various kitchen utensils that I have burned and mangled beyond recognition, and I found this photo I took for SPS of me frying bacon early on Sunday morning. Good thing I at least found this, because I think I deleted the others. Too bad, because they were worth a giggle at least. Oh well. I guess I can re-take them.
You know, there are many, many reasons to cook. The very least reason is because someone’s belly is hungry. Truly. They sell boxes of stuff at the grocery store that you just have to pop in the microwave and heat, and lo! behold! the belly fills. Shoot, the other day, I even saw cans of soup that heated when you opened them, no microwave needed. What’s the cooking in that? There isn’t any, that’s what.
I cook today because my Grandmother taught me to love to cook. You’ll notice I say Grandmother, because in truth, my mother hates to cook. For many years it was because she wasn’t very good at it, but now she is a good cook and she still doesn’t like to do it. It was my Grandmother who taught me to make biscuits from scratch. It was my Grandmother who taught me that fried chicken is done when it doesn’t sizzle up when you turn it over. It was my Grandmother who taught me that a cake is done when it starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. I’ve never ever been able to replicate her beef gravy, though.
The biggest thing she taught me is that you cook because you love people. And that is why my mother cooks, even though she hates it. She loves the people who eat with her. Every time I cook, I remember the lessons Grandmother taught me. I remember because each time I walk in my kitchen, I get a good visual reminder of them. I see her popcorn pot and her apron on top of my fridge. That’s her sifter and cracker tin, too.
This is my kitchen. Well in a manner of speaking, this is my kitchen. At least, this is what my kitchen looked like the last time it was thoroughly and completely cleaned, which was back in, like, April. It’s pretty much been in constant use since then, and I just can’t seem to get both the counters cleared at the same time. We cook a lot of good food up in here, ya’ll. It’s a hard life.
Hi, my name is Cass, and I know how to cook. It came to my attention that other people might be interested in how I go about that, and so a new blog was born. You’ll find menus and recipes here, and since cooking is about more than food, you’ll find information and reviews on cooking tools and dishes and all that stuff. In fact, if it’s about the kitchen, from the kitchen or in the kitchen, I will probably talk about it sooner or later. And every now and again, I’ll probably talk about something that has nothing to do with the kitchen other than the fact that the thought occurred to me while I was cooking. Because I am like that: I Digress could practically be my motto. Ha, I think I’ll go ahead and make that a category right now. This post can go in there.
Ok, what makes me qualified to run a cooking blog? I cook (did I say that?) for nine people. We eat four times a day here. I saw on tv a restaurant that served fewer meals per day than I do. They charged an astronomical amount of money, and also someone was murdered there, but still–they had a lower number of meals served per day than I do. Also, I used to have a cooking business. You know those businesses where you go to this big kitchen and make a bunch of meals and take them home to your freezer? I used to do that, only in people’s houses. I’d go to the store, buy the food, cook the food, freeze the food, and they would pay me. Frealz!
So, that’s me and this blog in a nutshell. I will gladly take your comments, questions and suggestions. While I am waiting on all of you to find me, it’s time to get cooking!
