Growing up with my mother’s dinner parties, my grandparents ethnic delights and watching cooking shows since I was 10, I suppose I’m lucky to have been surrounded by such gorgeous food my whole life. I’m now nearing 30 and find so much joy in cooking.
I approach cooking in several lights…
1. Am I out to impress?
Should there be a level of sophistication in terms of flavour & presentation OR am I recreating a hearty old time favourite in a modern way? Finesse can be simple, but still impress.
2. Am I on a budget?
I’m so lucky that my years of cooking & paying attention to the menus of wonderful restaurants pay off when I’m on a budget! Being able to shop smart, by choosing ingredients that are on special at the grocery store, means $$$ are saved. If you need a little help with your inspiration, try typing in your key ingredient into the search function on http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/ Save the link on your mobile and search right from the supermarket! *the joys of technology
3. How involved do I want to be?
Sometimes you have the time to make a salsa from scratch and boy the fresh flavour is worth it. But other times you have other priorities like getting stuff done around the house or catching up with your sweetheart! For those times when you don’t want to be caught up at the stove, it’s so handy to have a few oven bake or slow cook options up your sleeve.
4. Is it a balanced meal?
I will ALWAYS try to sneak in some extra goodness, where ever I can. I’ll add extra veg as much as possible BUT I do still appreciate the flavour beautiful, creamy butter brings to the table.
5. When was the last time I cooked this?
We all have favourites and dishes we finish and say ‘YES! I must do that again..’ But I promise that if you keep repeats to every 3 - 4 weeks, the more you cook with new inspiration, the more you’ll learn and then you’ll have a full repertoire of delicacies to dazzle your diners.
That pretty much summarizes my approach to cooking, aside from the fact that I LOVE a shortcut to make life easier. I’ll share with you my own recipes, favourites by others and hopefully together we’ll have a lot of fun in the kitchen!
Bon Appetit - Daisy Angela x
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Pinterest http://pinterest.com/DaisyAngela/becauseagirlsgottaeat/
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* image courtesy of Pinterest - photography credits N/A
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