New Way of Thinking

It's been a bit since my last post. I have been experimenting with new ways of cooking old things I have been cooking since I was a kid. Organic, natural. Real food cooking is quite a bit different than regular cooking. You have to think long and hard about what you are making, planning ahead and making sure you have everything you need.

For example: macaroni and cheese. This happens to be one of my favorite dishes to eat. Since I was able to chew food on my own I have loved Mac and cheese. I learned how to open the Kraft box and make it when I was barely tall enough to see over the stove. I then perfected my Mac and cheese when I was older to baking it and making it homemade. However, it really wasn't truly homemade or made from scratch.

I used to take pasta, dump in cubed velveeta cheese add some milk, maybe add a few crumbled crackers and bake it until brown and bubbly. Yum!

After transitioning to this new way of life, I realized that velveeta cheese isn't really cheese at all, which is why it is so easy to melt and it is so creamy. I got out my old cookbooks and checked out seem new recipes and I went old school. Melt butter, add flour, add milk, add real cheese and melt it, add to the pasta and bake for a little bit. Add breadcrumbs if you like, or don't. But, be aware that not all real cheese is the same when melted. Some has a lot of oil in it when it melts. Something you don't want to serve people is oily macaroni and cheese. Eek! So it is really trial and error. Mixing different types of cheeses gives it a while new flavor too.

As our family has been getting adjusted to this new way of life, I too, am learning a lot about who I was as a cook and have changed a .ot of things about the way I cook. I have always enjoyed being in my kitchen, but it just seems more enjoyable when I am getting the cookbooks out and making something completely and I do mean completely from scratch. No boxes of prepared things, no dehydrated potatoes from a box. It's all fresh and prepared by me. I have learned to love cooking this new way even more than before! Yes, it takes me a lot longer sometimes to make dinner or lunch, but  the taste of our food and knowing exactly where it comes from is truly worth it.

What do you cook in your kitchen now that is something you use a lot of prepared foods to make that maybe you could change and tweak into a newer better recipe for you and your family? For me, Mac and cheese. Maybe it's potatoes for you, or maybe it's a casserole you make a lot. Step back sometime and look at how you are cooking and give it a try. I guarantee you, your taste buds, and your body will thank you!!!

Until next time, if you need me, I will be experimenting in my kitchen for something new to cook!