the cook next door..

I've been tagged for the Cook Next Door meme which means I get to write about myself again. And it just so happens that I am an expert on the subject. The struggle is that sometimes I find myself utterly fascinating, while other times, well, I can just bore myself to tears. Let's hope I don't do the same to you.

What’s your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?

My first memory of creatively cooking on my own is probably when I was approximately 7 years old. I was a big fan of canned mushrooms, and if ever my dad opened a can for whatever reason, I’d be the first one to stick my fingers in it and steal one if I could. If he wasn't paying attention he would find the can already half emptied, which never left him very pleased. One day I asked my dad if I could “cook” some mushrooms. At 6 or 7 years old, this left a lot of room for interpretation. But with his assistance, I threw them in a Pam coated frying pan and heated them up. The addition of a can of drained mushrooms, a dash of paprika and some black pepper and I had my very own original creation. I'm sure dad steered me in the right direction in terms of my spice choices, but in my mind, I could take full credit for this fabulous new invention.

Who had the most influence on your cooking?

My dad did all the cooking in our house when I grew up and even if he would be away he’d be cooking big pots of chili days in advance to ensure we had ready made meals waiting for us. He always cooked very low fat, never allowed us to add salt to anything, and was very strict with our sugar intake. Prime example: my brother and I begged him to buy us Koolaid, we’d had it at our friends houses and loved it. So he finally relented and bought us a package. We watched with eager anticipation as he mixed the red powder with ice cold water. What we didn’t realize was that he didn’t add the sugar. What is Koolaid without sugar? My brother and I had no idea why it tasted so horrible and we never asked for Koolaid again. Sneaky devil my dad was. My cooking now is very much influenced by this. Sometimes I think of it more as a paranoia on my part now. Although since I don’t eat many salty foods I have no qualms about adding a bit of salt to flavour a dish, I am still very uptight about sugar. Which is why some of my posts talk about resisting the temptations of the bakery. I treat myself every now and then but for the most part, my dad has me brainwashed. I mean that in a good way, Dad.

Do you have an old photo as "evidence" of an early exposure to the culinary world?

Well this is the only "old" picture I have with me here in Heidelberg. And I think there's food on my face. Does that count?

Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?

I always get nervous when I have a number of dishes or courses to prepare, when the success of the meal is dependent on timing, and my stove top is filled with various pots and pans. The potatoes need 20 minutes, the chicken needs an hour, the sauce 10 minutes etc etc.. This can most definitely cause me to get twitchy and break into a sweat. And when I’m nervous I lose the finesse in my motor skills and become extremely clumsy. I’m already a terrible clutz, as G will attest to, but it is magnified when I’m under culinary stress. Whenever he hears me make an odd noise in the kitchen, he comes running with the bandaids.

What are your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest letdown?

My most valued tool is my egg slicer. No just kidding. G and I recently bought a set of chef’s knives from Sheffield, England, which is reknowned for its knives and cutlery. I treasure these babies and not a day goes by where I don’t use at least two or three of them.

The biggest letdown? Hands down a Henckel’s tool with blades that you roll repeatedly over your herbs and it’s supposed to chop them finely for you. But in reality, it just squishes them into the cutting board and bruises them to death. It’s rather tragic really.

Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else does.

When I was growing up my family regularly ate peas from a can mixed with mayonnaise. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized this is not normal. Though I never make it myself, I still enjoy eating it when I go home to visit my parents.

As a kid, whenever we had ice cream at home, I used to love putting peanuts on top. Not so unusual, I know, but here’s the clincher: I preferred the salted ones in my ice cream.

And if I’m being as naughty as I can get, I love alternating a bite of chocolate with a bite of a plain salty potato chip. There’s something about the sweet and salty combination really works for me. I haven’t done this in a long time but it gives me great guilty pleasure to think about it.

What are the three edibles or dishes you simply don't want to live without?

I could definitely not live without bread or cheese. And the world would be a much less exciting place if there were no chocolate. Even though I only occasionally indulge in chocolate, I don’t take those moments lightly. I’ve recently read about a chocolatier in Paris who makes squares of cheese covered in chocolate. Sounds strange, but how can I resist. If there were bread in the mix too I’d be in heaven. It’s the first place I’m going to when I get there.

Any question you missed in this meme that you would have loved to answer? Well then, feel free to add one!

Your favorite ice-cream.

I have fond memories of a Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chunk ice cream from a place called Baskin-Robbins, which I haven’t been to in over 10 years, if not longer. I also really like Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream. You can see the pattern here.

You will definitely never eat...

Aside from any of the things that they make you eat on shows like Fear Factor, I will likely never eat snails. I’m sure they taste just fine but I’ll leave them for the rest of you.

Your own signature dish...

I make thai curries far more often than I probably should. But luckily G loves them too. So I guess that would be my “thing”.

I tag whoever wants to participate, because it's hard to tell whose already been tagged!

So send me a comment if you want to carry on the meme.