Skip to main content

Intuitive Cheating Part 2

So we are in the dog days of July here, and the very last thing I want to do is cook. But I do like to eat, so what's a girl to do? This is where intuitive cooking really helps out. I think of the freezer as a part of my pantry; that is, I stock it with basics I know I can cook with, and are flexible enough to allow me to make all kinds of variations on a theme.

For example, I love to stock frozen raw bread dough on a regular basis. I tend to buy a couple of two packs, because where I shop, the inventory for it is unpredictable. I DO make my own homemade bread, but not in the summer. So, in the morning, I toss out a couple of frozen loaves , put each on an oiled pan, and let them thaw until I'm ready for dinner.

Almost instant pizza! I nudge it out over the pan (I don't at all care about the shape).  Then, I slather it with whatever fresh, thawed frozen,  or roasted veggies I have...or, if I'm willing to go down to the farmer's market, I pick up fresh tomatoes and fresh basil (this is the best).  Add fresh motz balls, and throw into a very hot oven, or on a grill. If you, like I, think simple is best, then combos on homemade pizza are so much better than the frozen ready made stuff, it is like two different species:

basil, garlic, and motz
soaked sun dried tomatoes, roasted onions, and ricotta added near the end
cooked bacon, drained pineapple, and black olives
chopped frozen broccoli (rinse in hot water & squeeze dry) , garlic, and parm

If you've got kids, wash their hands, give them a chunk of dough on a plate, and have them raid the frig for their own ideas!

enjoy.


I now have a nice baking stone (I just got it this year), which makes the crust SO good. Get one if you
can.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Steak Luxuries

Cooking intuitively must include a big decision- whether to include meat in your meals. I have cooked vegetarian and even vegan. Vegan cooking can be delicious, but speaking personally, I have found that a vegan meal (especially those that contain a protein or meat substitute) can take much longer to cook, include specialized ingredients, and become expensive. I do include veggie meals in my cooking, but I save those for a weekend or day off.  When I want a special treat for dinner, but don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen, I choose steak. The ABSOLUTE best steak I have ever had is grass fed, dry aged organic steak from Whole Foods. I bought it for a special birthday barbecue, and it was unbelievably expensive per pound. I have only bought it that one time!  But as a monthly or bi-monthly treat, I do sometimes buy a big steak. I know my family will love it, & I know I won't need much time to cook it. Here is what I have learned about buying steak: 1)...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Pantry

What you got?                Yesterday I suggested that you take an inventory of the general state of your cooking space, if you have one. The goal is to be able to build your skills to the point where you are able to kick out a meal on the fly. This happens to be the kind of cooking I like to do. I get really itchy when I have tried those meal planning ideas; and believe me, I’ve tried a bunch.                If you are lucky enough to have a full kitchen, you are really set. But even if you only have a hot plate or a microwave, you can do some very simple cooking.                SO why even try to cook , when you either don’t know how , or hate to? Try to think of it as a way of expanding your world. There are all the usual practical reasons, of course. For example, you c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Intuitive "measuring"

Intuitive measuring is one of the skills you can cultivate as you learn how to cook. Why do I want you to learn intuitive measuring? Because the less fussy you become in the kitchen, the quicker you cook . You will rely on your pantry more, and have to shop less. I want you to enjoy being in the kitchen, as a place where you can relax, cook good meals, and not worry too much. There are proportions you can learn by sight as you cook. For example , I make my own meatballs in one massive Saturday effort, and then freeze them. I know that for my large ten pound batch ( I am lucky enough to have a real butcher! He discounts the price if I buy ten pounds) , I will need about three cups of my fresh bread crumbs,which in my case fills up my blender....then I use three to four eggs, and three good palm fulls of italian spice blend. I know my "measurements" are right by how the meat looks before I shape it into balls. Or , for cooking rice, I know that rice doubles as it cooks. I k...
Post a Comment
Read more