Cooking With Style

I'm watching Master Chef and thinking how amazing Christine is...a blind competitor who continues to inspire me and Monti, a single mom not unlike myself ,who grows in confidence with her ability and cooking talent.  But, it also makes me think about how all the chefs over the centuries still managed to create visions in the kitchen with far less than what these cooks have.  So, I challenge you to look at these five cooking utensils from the 17th & 18th centuries and see if you can guess how they were used in those kitchens from long ago.  Remember, no peaking at the answers until you have written down your guesses!  ;~)



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1.  Eighteenth century antique wrought iron Scotch Broiler...mainly used throughout the United Kingdom.  This type of broiler was used to cook meat or poultry and could even be used to toast slices of bread.

2.   Nineteenth century wooden Wall Spice Box...usually found hanging near the open hearth or stove and used to store different spices or home essentials such as candles.

3.  Nineteenth century Antique Forged Iron Utensil Rack... this piece would have been used to hold fireplace cooking utensils as well as holding small game or fowl and root vegetables until needed.

4.  Eighteenth century French Egg Spoon...often used in France to create a meal centered around an egg cooked in the spoon before being placed on toasted bread.  

5.  Eighteenth century Barrel Churn...sometimes the entire churn would be turned by the handle or the handle would operate a crank turning paddles inside the barrel to produce butter.

Cook Up A Good Book

My mother was the queen of homebaked goods.  Everything from fresh baked bread to homemade candy and doughnuts and cakes.  For myself, it took a while to get the hang of things.  I even tried to bake some cookies one summer when my mother was on a trip out of town and I almost burnt the house down.  I find that my writing is a bit like baking a cake.  My first attempts are sloppy at best.  I can't quite figure out what goes wrong, but I KNOW something is missing...some secret ingredient which helps take my stories to the next level.

 

But I keep at it.  I don't give up.  I put together another story while throwing in a pinch more of humor here and a dash of suspense there until I finally get something of which I can be proud.  Others even think THIS attempt smells good and I think maybe I have finally figured out how to cook up a good book.

 

I don't want to stop there.  I want to be a gourmet at this writing thing.  So I sample the works of other writers.  I ask other cooks for their recipes for success and spend a lot of time learning to perfect the process of creating a good book.  And I cook.  And cook some more.  And if I'm lucky enough and work really hard, one day I might cook something worth consuming.

But then again, there are some things I want to stay away from...