It all began with my mother's old recipe box...
After cooking for my family for years, I began to grow as a person and as a cook. Growing up in a town like Toronto, which a wide range of cultures call home, I was invited into the homes of my friends whose families had come from all over the world. I was introduced to Indian and Chinese cuisine, French Canadian and Japanese, Korean and Thai, and food from our very own Maritimes. I tried spicy food from the Caribbean, and and Mexico, as well as typical British or Jewish fare. I wanted to cook these foods, and in learning to do so, I started thinking outside the (recipe) box. I learned to become more daring. I started using new spices, experimenting with different ways of cooking, and tweaking recipes to make them my own.
I also grew confident enough to share my cooking with others. I was given the opportunity to cook for a day care that I used to work for, and I jumped at the chance. For the first time, I was cooking for a really large group of people. This task gave me a repertoire for new recipes, and showed me how to adjust for or substitute for food allergies or dietary needs that I had never had to deal with before. I learned to cook in a way that would create meals that others would enjoy, and I followed recipes with food collaborations that I wouldn't have necessarily paired before. Children tend to be picky eaters, and this helped me greatly. They are the best critics, because they don't sugar coat their opinions, and aren't afraid to tell you exactly what they want. (But, they are adorable enough that you don't feel upset about their criticisms). I learned to make healthy foods into fun foods, and started experimenting with cooking the same foods I loved, in different ways to appease their different tastes. I became more aware of the use of colours in cooking, and presenting the food in a way that would be appealing for children to eat.
While running an after school program for kids, I was given the opportunity to start planning my own snack menu, and started weekly cooking classes with the kids. It was a time we all enjoyed. I learned to shop on a very tight budget, and this taught me how to begin to use some processed foods, (which are generally cheaper than their fresh counterparts), in ways that could still turn out a healthy choice for a snack that would still include three or four food groups at each sitting. Pizza type snacks are favourites with my children, and directions for two variations on quick and easy pizza snacks are below.
Lastly, I started throwing regular murder mystery dinner parties. These often came with a theme for costumes and a setting complete with era. It was through running these evenings of fun that I learned to plan for themed menus, and started researching which foods came from different regions and how they paired together. On these evenings, as well as In my cook book, I have tried to offer suggestions of things that would go well with the various dishes.
I also grew confident enough to share my cooking with others. I was given the opportunity to cook for a day care that I used to work for, and I jumped at the chance. For the first time, I was cooking for a really large group of people. This task gave me a repertoire for new recipes, and showed me how to adjust for or substitute for food allergies or dietary needs that I had never had to deal with before. I learned to cook in a way that would create meals that others would enjoy, and I followed recipes with food collaborations that I wouldn't have necessarily paired before. Children tend to be picky eaters, and this helped me greatly. They are the best critics, because they don't sugar coat their opinions, and aren't afraid to tell you exactly what they want. (But, they are adorable enough that you don't feel upset about their criticisms). I learned to make healthy foods into fun foods, and started experimenting with cooking the same foods I loved, in different ways to appease their different tastes. I became more aware of the use of colours in cooking, and presenting the food in a way that would be appealing for children to eat.
While running an after school program for kids, I was given the opportunity to start planning my own snack menu, and started weekly cooking classes with the kids. It was a time we all enjoyed. I learned to shop on a very tight budget, and this taught me how to begin to use some processed foods, (which are generally cheaper than their fresh counterparts), in ways that could still turn out a healthy choice for a snack that would still include three or four food groups at each sitting. Pizza type snacks are favourites with my children, and directions for two variations on quick and easy pizza snacks are below.
Lastly, I started throwing regular murder mystery dinner parties. These often came with a theme for costumes and a setting complete with era. It was through running these evenings of fun that I learned to plan for themed menus, and started researching which foods came from different regions and how they paired together. On these evenings, as well as In my cook book, I have tried to offer suggestions of things that would go well with the various dishes.