My first forays into "from scratch" cooking. . .

After having cooked for James a few of my "go-to" recipes, like lasagna and shepherd's pie, and still not getting the desired complimentary reaction I was looking for, I decided it was time to ask for some guidance.  Where else do I always go when I need help or answers with things but to books!  I had seen her show and actually made one of her appetizers a few months before so I thought that the Barefoot Contessa cookbook would be perfect for trying new foods and techniques.  James and I both perused through the book marvelling at all the fancy food and how great it looked.  Being the quintessential midwesterner that I was I went for what looked easiest right off the bat - the California BLT.  I soon realized that easier recipes are sometimes harder because you have so few ingredients to create a big impression.  The bacon, bakery bread, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce and avocados were all from Whole Foods and fresh as I could get them but I had made a rookie mistake!  Avocados weren't in season and had almost no flavor, the tomatoes weren't in season either and though they were better than usual grocery store tomatoes they were still not what I had hoped for.  I learned a valuable lesson my first foray into "from scratch" cooking - buy in season!

  It wasn't until I tried a recipe based around our favorite food that I really got excited about my new cooking adventure.  Ina has a recipe for wild mushroom soup, it has several simple ingredients and fortunately for me the 3 types of wild mushrooms are always in season (because they are grown inside year round).  The soup takes an hour or so to make and has a few steps but they are easy steps.  The first time I made this dish I spent more time in the kitchen making dinner than I ever had before but in the end I was rewarded with one of the most delicious things I had ever eaten - in a restaurant or at home!  This was a valuable lesson for me in my culinary experience - time and effort are almost always paid off in the end!

  This soup has now become a regular dish in my house and much requested by my husband and other family members.  Now that I have honed my chopping and prepping skills it no longer takes me as long to make the soup - it has become second nature to me in the kitchen.  As I said before, better and healthier food in the kitchen just takes practice!