The Simplicity of Seasonal Cooking
...and I don't want AI in my kitchen
Hello! And welcome to my cooking club. I have a food blog, and perhaps you’ve cooked some of my recipes, but this is not that. This is more conversational, like how to deal in the kitchen, friend to friend. Real life cooking. Like, I have a bunch of Hakurei turnips and kohlrabi and mushrooms in the refrigerator and what should I do with them? AI may think they can help us with that, but I don’t want AI in my kitchen. I like knowing what to do and figuring things out for myself.
When anything is possible (e.g. the plethora of cookbooks and online recipes) and you can get anything at any time at a grocery store, it is hard to feel grounded. That is why I find sticking with what’s seasonal to be so calming. It reduces the options. It connects you to a natural pace and rhythm…nature.
So, what did I do with those turnips?
I love receiving a CSA delivery from Chance Farm, but with the past heat wave, I got behind in cooking. Lovely little kohlrabi and Hakurei turnips lingered in my refrigerator. Mushrooms from SporeAttic too! So Sunday night I made fried rice only instead of mixing the rice into the stir-fried vegetables, we made it crispy in the waffle iron (husband’s idea…he had to clean it). No photo, sorry!
A simple combination of soy, sesame oil, and rice vinegar can dress any stir-fried vegetables, get it from my fried rice recipe.
Seasonal Recipes on Ripe Food & Wine
Check out my Recipe Collections on the top menu under “Recipes” for categories like seasonal favorites (Summer), holidays, birthday cakes and frostings, fresh & light, weeknight favorites, sourdough, and more.
Food & Faith; Reconnecting Head, Heart, and Body
I host a "Food & Faith” growth group for my church every month. We catch up with each other, I talk about what’s seasonal and what I’m cooking that week, share a quote from a book I’m reading (like this one by Richard Rohr, Breathing Under Water), then we sit down at my table for lunch. I wish you all could come, but logistically it’s a challenge.
Here’s the excerpt I wanted to share, p.14:
“Those who can be present with head, heart, and body at the same time will always encounter The Presence, whether they call it God or not. For the most part, those skills are learned by letting life come to us on its own terms, and not resisting the wonderful underlying Mystery that is everywhere, all the time, and offered to us too.”
bye for now!
Let me know what you think. Do you like this? Would you like to see my weekly meal planning notepad? It’s kind of a mess, but I’m willing to share if you think it would help you in the kitchen, which is what I’m all about!