Surviving the Hard Times

I just finished reading Julie & Julia. I haven't seen the movie yet. The book was good. I can relate to the obsession with wanting to finish this project. It's an interesting project. I'm tempted to try to repeat that project as I'm sure hundreds of people who have read the book or seen the movie are doing right now. But I have two children, not nearly enough budget and that much butter is just not in my dietary budget. I'm trying to lose weight.

I'm thinking that maybe cooking my way through a slow-cooker cookbook might be more my speed. It would help with the crazy days of swim and soccer practice. My family might even eat what I've cooked. I know that my husband will never eat kidneys, brain or liver. The children like chicken hearts but the more exotic organs would just be wasted. Or maybe a trip through the Foods That Heal cookbook would be good. It's full of recipes using beans and other healthy foods. That would be useful. I want to be sure that I know lots of ways to use my stock of dried beans and grains. This would be the most useful project. I'm sure lots of beans will be wasted before the children decide that they are normal food.

So look for posts about those foods in the near future. I really do plan on doing more writing. Even if no one reads or comments on this blog, it's just good practice for me to write the words.

Today's cooking exercise was Ceviche. If you've never eaten ceviche, don't be afraid of it. It sounds like raw fish but tastes nothing like raw fish. It's simply fish that has been marinated or acid cooked in lime and lemon juice. From there, recipes vary widely. Today, I used a pound of sole for the fish, two small red jalapenos, half a red pepper, half a green pepper, about two tablespoons of chopped cilantro, a small red onion, and a few cherry tomatoes. It's marinating in the fridge now. The fish is already beginning to look cooked. When I get home from swim class it should be ready for me to have a small dish on the front porch. Such a simple dish and most of the ingredients came from my garden (or would have if the tomatoes would ripen). If I were a fisherman, I could even use my own fish but the whole gutting and cleaning fish just doesn't sound like fun. It's much more fun to use the filleted sole from the store.

I never would have tried making ceviche were it not for a sample table at the Japanese grocery. I tried ceviche and thought it was wonderful. I've made several batches now. I've used tilapia which works but seems to go a little soft. I'm trying the more expensive sole this time which seems to be firmer. Don't be afraid. Step out and try something new.