RECIPES

Tuesday 22 June 2021

A New Beginning

 

Today is the first day after our shortest day – it is one second longer!  Traditionally the winter solstice has always been a time of renewal and the start of new things, but today most of the people that I know are not even aware of it.

It seems Society is becoming so out of touch with the natural cycle of seasons and the change of daily rhythms. 

So, am I doing anything new?  Well, not really, but there are two things I would like to do.  One is get back to writing more blogs, and the other is changing the type of meals I cook.  I lost interest in food over the last few years (through grief and depression) and have found it difficult to get started again.  I always used to love my food!

I wondered if experimenting with a new style of cooking might make things more interesting.  I’ve always been a middle twentieth century Kiwi cook – the meat and three veg, with dessert to follow, type of cook.  Son is in agreement with me, and says he is willing to try anything new.

Which meant today (our power was off all day so it was perfect day to get out of the house) I went shopping! 

I came home with this lovely wok-pan for making stir-frys, risottos, and such like.  Tonight it is a bit of a throw-it-all-in and hope-for-the-best type of dinner.  Wish me luck!




If anyone is interested, it is a Baccarat wok that I found in Farmers Trading Co. – the price tag was a bit hefty at $240.00, but at 40% off on special it was worth the purchase.

Happy cooking everyone 😊

Margaret.



13 comments:

  1. Try lamb biryani, I love it, very simple to make (one wok).

    ReplyDelete
  2. There is nothing like a good wok for cooking things like stir fries that need lots of instant heat. A friend lived in China for a while and said that sometimes the wok was almost red hot and food was cooked almost instantly. Good luck with your cooking. I love stir fries and risottos so I hope you enjoyed yours.

    ReplyDelete
  3. F has a white board on the kitchen door on which she writes the meals she plans to make out of whatever is in the fridge this week (and to remind herself to also use what's in the freezer and dry store). I noticed her list this week said 'paella, falafel, the usual range of salads (it is summer time here) and 1 new thing'. So maybe you are on a wavelength. It seems that no matter what your usual style is for food prep you can get a bit bogged down in repeating the things you always turn to. Last week the new thing was Gazpacho. I can assure you that cats are not interested in gazpacho. I'm hoping the one new thing will look (smell, taste) remarkably like roast chicken. I don't feel bogged down at all. xxx Mr T

    ReplyDelete
  4. While you are kick starting your cooking, I have gone for more and more simple meals, now there is 'just me'.
    Loving the look of your wok! Your meal sounds like some of mine - throw and hope, I call them :)
    I was very aware of the solstice... but as the old saying goes, as the days get longer, the cold gets stronger...
    Stay safe
    Blessings
    Maxine

    ReplyDelete
  5. We have two woks that we use constantly. You can create a delicious, healthy stir fry in twenty minutes - and that's from starting to chop the ingredients. If you are really interested in changing your eating habits move more towards a plant based diet, and especially cut out red meat. It's better for you and the environment.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My husband and I changed out eating habits this last year. He was a sweets person, me just chocolate. He gave up sweets. I have chocolate occasionally now. We cut back on carbs. Lots of salad and veg, little red meet. Lots of interesting recipes to try and it’s been great trying new things. We like quinoa now, with roasted veg added. We would never have thought we’d grow to like it when we first tried it.

    The new wok looks like a great buy. Enjoy your new cooking adventures.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good luck with your new menu. It's always fun to try new food. Growing up in England dinners were always meat and potatoes and veg, but I think people are more adventurous now. When I first came to Canada I was amazed by all the different vegetables that I had never heard of!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh I have cooked the same type meals for years and years and like you, meat and three vegetables. It is hard to change. I am just so tired of it all. Your new wok looks really nice. Maybe I need to buy something new for the kitchen. I do wish you luck. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. My compute* will print the lette*, only randomly.
    But I have read here, today.
    😏 💻 😏 💻 😏 💻 😏 💻 😏

    I will add.... I so agree about how mode*n people do not pay any attention to the changing of seasons or the wheel of the year. But I love to! So happy about your new plans.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's a great idea, trying a new way of cooking. Personally I'd like to start a new style of not-cooking. Luckily it's Summer and I can get away with even less fussing than ever. I've never had a wok. I am thinking of getting an air fryer though. We'll see how that works out.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Here's to lots of new style meals.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hard to believe solstice is mid summer here. It the just the beginning. We have many weeks of sweltering weather before there will be any change.

    ReplyDelete
  13. that looks yummy. I didn't grow up with the meat and 3 veg meals but B did. These days I like trying new foods, favourite so far is Vietnamese.

    ReplyDelete

Thank-you for visiting my blog. I love it when you leave a comment so please feel free to have your say. Have a great day! Margaret xx