Simply Salt?

The purpose of salt


The simplicity of salt makes it one of the most misunderstood and taken for granted ingredient in the spice cupboard. Its complexity is over looked and it’s often misused. I am here to demystify and debunk the notion that salt is anything but ordinary.

Once upon a time, there was a time when nobles ruled and peasants were tolerated. In those days salt was considered a prize spice. Tables were arranged in order of hierarchy. Salt and pepper were placed at the “head” of the table where the nobles were allowed to use salt and pepper (once the single most expensive spice in the world). Peasants were not allowed to use salt; they had to rely on herbs to flavor their food.

Interestingly, if the same social class restrictions were in place today, it would more than likely be the exact opposite. Have you perused the spice and herb isle at the supermarkets lately? Salt is practically free while the cost of herbs makes them somewhat a precious commodity, even though you can grow them in abundance in your very own windowsill or garden. Ironic, isn’t it?

Simply put, salt is a flavor enhancer. Just try cooking without it. Your dishes, whether they be savory or sweet will turn out flat without it. That being said, I also think that salt is one of the most misused ingredients in the kitchen. I have had my share of dishes that either had too much, or too little salt. It has a very direct impact on the flavor (and sometimes the texture!) of the dish. Because people have varying opinions on how salty they like their foods, its best to season well so that people can add salt if they desire while leaving the dish palatable for those who do not like as much salt.

I believe it is best to use unsalted ingredients whenever possible so that you can control how much salt ends up in a dish. This is also why it’s important to taste your food throughout the cooking process; season in layers and taste as you go.

Let’s look a little closer at cooking with salt. Just walk down the spice isle and you may find yourself in awe at the many different choices you have when purchasing salt. Kosher salt, canning salt, rock salt, table salt, or the French Fleur De Sel, just to name a few. I am not a fan of table salt. The only use I see for it is in baking. Most baking recipes do not take into account the difference in size granules of other salts. Table salt has a bitterer flavor than other salts. In other words, not good eats. While Fleur De Sel is so expensive that I would only use it for a “finishing salt” (salt that is used after cooking, like a garnish you can’t see).

Salt should be added early on in the cooking process. Salt (and pepper) added late in a dish may take on too harsh of a flavor. Salt binds the flavors together; helps them meld and blend while enhancing their inherent flavors. This is also why it’s important to properly salt the water when making pasta and rice; it’s the only opportunity you have to season these particular foods. They will not absorb flavors as well once they are cooked and as I mentioned earlier, they will taste flat. Salt perks up depth and complexity of dishes and baked goods while balancing flavors both sweet and savory.

This is just the bare basic essentials of salt. I have not even begun to share how wonderful and amazing this spice truly is. I have not touched on how it preserves food, how it can tenderize food, and other food science behind cooking with it. It’s so much more than just an afterthought or simple ingredient.

I hope I have inspired you to really think about the ingredients you use in the kitchen. There are entire books written solely on salt. It really is amazing and its uses are endless. I hope you take the time to explore the more intricate uses of salt in your own cooking.

Play with your food!!

If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony.
~Fernand Point

Passion

Passion

The word generally elicits an emotional response, as it should. You cannot have passion without feeling. Upon hearing the word, most people’s initial thoughts probably wander to the lusty activities that happen between two people in the bedroom. However; it pertains to so much more than that, and I am not referring to a threesome. ;-)

What I am talking about is life passion. What stirs your thoughts and gives you butterflies in your belly? What is it that gets you excited, energized and enthused?

For me passion, food and cooking all go hand in hand. I love taking simple foods combining them with a little magic and a little science to create something wonderful. I enjoy this process even more when I have someone to share it with. There is nothing like watching someone take a bite, close their eyes and “Mmmmm….” . That means I did something right.

I just recently watched Julie and Julia with a dear friend of mine. I loved that movie. I am so envious that she thought of the idea first of writing a yearlong blog on Julia Child’s recipes. What an adventure that must have been!! What a treat to try so many different dishes, recipes, things you would otherwise not cook or eat. That would be a lifelong growing experience. Something you would never forget.

Unfortunately, she did think of it first. Not to mention I live alone and there is no way I would ever tackle something like that without having someone to help me eat all that food!! Perhaps someday…. Until then, it’s always nice to think about.

Family Traditions

I have always loved family traditions. I didn’t really appreciate their importance until this year, when I will be alone through the Holidays. We moved away from family when my oldest daughter was first born. I had always been surrounded by family during the Holiday season and since that wasn’t going to be an option, I went straight to work on finding little things I could do for my own family to create traditions that would make our Holiday Season special. I quickly found that others gravitated towards my home during the Holidays; people who also did not have family to share the Season with. Now that I am on the other side of that, I can better appreciate what they must have been feeling when they came into my home looking for warmth and celebration. Every year the crowd that would surround us for the Holiday’s grew. Everyone was always welcome with open arms…so long as they brought an empty stomach! They would come early and stay late, and everyone was always stuffed by the time that dinner was ready. We were never short on laughter or room for those who wished to join us. I am missing all that this year. I am missing making the Holidays special for others who don’t have family to celebrate with. I am missing the warmth, the laughter, and the traditions. I am truly hoping that one day I can do that again. All the little things that I took for granted seem to have a greater significance now that I am not able to share the Holiday Spirit. Now, I am the one alone for the Holidays. When the day comes and I can once again build traditions and open my home, you can bet that I will be even more aware of those who do not have family during this time of year, and I will do everything I can to allow them to be a part of mine.

Survival Guide for todays life-style

Survival Tips 101 (ok, make that 10)

These are the things you should absolutely NEVER leave home without.

1. Clean underwear, because you just never know…..
2. Common sense. Look at how many people are running around without it. Do you really want to be one of them?
3. A sense of humor. Refer back to item number 2. You’re going to need one.
4. Wit, it’s never a good idea to be unarmed.
5. Imagination. This is invaluable for those times when waiting is inevitable… like in traffic when you have to pee. It’s a great form of distraction; just don’t picture a lake….
6. A stick of gum. It can be a marvelous tool. You can use it to freshen your breath when you have consumed too much coffee trying to stay awake in yet another drawn out meeting with no point, you can use it to hold a piece of paper to your rear view mirror when you find your last post-it note has already been used and you need to remember an important memo (or directions! If you’re like me and you tend to get lost easy), and last but not least you can stick it to the seat of some poor unsuspecting fool from tip number 2! Another great diversion from the boredom of day to day living.
7. Post-it notes….it keeps you from having to scrape gum off your rear view mirror…
8. Sarcasm, cleverly disguised as interest. This works great when combined with the tip number 4.
9. Bottled water, aside from looking smart and keeping hydrated; if you fail to use your imagination as described in tip number 5 you can always say you spilled…..but that’s stretching it….
10. Clean underwear, because as you read tip number 9…..you just never know….

I hope you enjoyed this survival guide! If it gave you pause to smile for even just a moment then you are already fully armed with everything you need, because laughter truly is the best medicine!

Time to Say Goodbye...

The time has come for me to say goodbye to some old friendships that I have outgrown. I find it sad to let people go that I was once close to. My life has undergone many changes in the last year and as I start a new chapter, I am defining more and more what I want and don’t want in my life. That includes people. It’s not that they are bad people; they are just in a different place, a different state of being than I am now. If I wish to truly move forward, I have to let go of the past that no longer suits my desires and goals. I am evaluating and scrutinizing every relationship that I have. Some key observations will determine who I stay in touch with and allow to remain present in my life, and who I will let go. Honesty and integrity, compassion and a positive outlook on life are big factors in who stays and who goes. There are also friendships that I currently keep that only contact me when they have problems, they will also go. Those for me will probably be the hardest to let go, but friendship is a two way street and I am not a therapist. I don’t wish to hurt anyone by saying goodbye, but the time has come for me to look out for me. I spend a lot of time and energy being there for others, and some of those others have no interest in me except for how I can help them and what I can do for them. I know they don’t intend to be this way, but when things are going well for them, they have other people that they share that with. Misery loves company and there are enough miserable people out there that those who dwell there will never be alone. Me, on the other hand, I wish to surround myself with people who I genuinely care about who care for me in return. I do not require my friends to be happy and in a positive state of mind at all times. We all have challenges and challenges can affect our thoughts, perceptions and emotions. It’s life. The difference being on whether a person chooses to say in misery or make some changes. To those I am letting go, I sincerely wish you well and hope one day you find a way to be happy and enjoy your life.

Can Creativity Survive Academia?

I am wondering; can Academia and Creativity co-exist? It’s only my second week of college and my creative self feels like its suffocating. With all the logical and technical thought processes that I am trying to absorb, I do not feel like I have the time for creative outlets and I am feeling stifled. Is there a way to incorporate creativity into the learning process to be able to better grasp these concepts and to more fully be able to enjoy the learning experience I am being offered?
With my life experience I can fully appreciate that without an education I am seriously limited with my life choices. Obtaining and education is very important to me and I wish to do well. I am devoting hours a day on my studies. If I am not at work or attending to other life responsibilities, I am focusing on school. I do not feel like the high school education I received really prepared me for a higher education and I am struggling to understand the concepts that are being presented to me. I feel at the disadvantage, like I have to work twice as hard right now to catch up with the other students who have had more recent education.
I am a naturally curious person. I love learning and I want to know everything about everything. With that characteristic, I feel like I could really get into and enjoy the learning opportunity that I now have. I just have to overcome this feeling of inadequacy. I have to get to a point where I feel confident and caught up. I start every new week feeling like I am three steps behind everyone else. Everything is foreign to me right now, and I don’t like that. Does it get better? Will it get easier? I truly hope so.

On Writers Block

I’m over-tired. I’m a mess, my house is a mess…and here I sit, wondering why the hell I can’t write and where did all my creative energy go. Hmmm…

It would seem that the winds of change are a blowin’ and I am right smack dab in the middle of a hurricane; anxiously awaiting the eye of the storm for that brief moment of calm before it all starts comin’ down again.

So here I sit…again, hunched over my computer screen, waiting for the ideas to come… and all I get is a blank white page staring back at me.

There is absolutely nothing more intimidating to a writer, than a blank, white, page.