It's Christmas Eve day in beautiful Orange County, CA. It's about 60 and sunny outside. Perfect time to embark on a new mission: cook my way though Michel Richard's Happy In The Kitchen.
Starbucks in hand. Listening to Edith Piaf. Can't contain my excitement.
I'm doing this almost in the same fashion that Julie Powell did with The Julie/Julia Project, Carol Blymire did with French Laundry At Home and Alinea At Home. Both women did not work for the Chefs whose cookbook they were charting from for a year and then some. This was project, a goal to be accomplished - not really profiting from the experience. Having said that, how sweet was it that Julie's blog, turned book became a movie with Meryl Streep in it? It would be so-incredibly-sweet if there was a pot of gold at the end of this venture. But that's not why I've started this cooking-learning-writing challenge. I've given myself this mission as a Christmas present. In the hopes that I become a better cook and improved amateur writer at the last recipe and post. I admire the will and strength of character both women have. No guts no glory, right? I wish to be able to accomplish the same in this adventure.
Disclaimer: I do not write very well or well at all. My command of the English language is not so great (I get by ok). If there are phrases that don't make sense, misspelled or mismatched words, or even dangling participles, please forgive me in advance. I always use spellcheck, refer to The Oxford English Dictionary, use m-w.com and ask for the help of my (Canadian) husband. But none the less, English is my third language. Thanks for your understanding.
Where to start??
How 'bout my kitchen:
This is my postage-stamp size kitchen. Every piece of real estate is pretty much spoken for. The Canadian husband I mentioned earlier, is the engineer that keeps all my toys, tools, gadgets (and sometimes inventions) in their proper place.
One of the first things Happy In The Kitchen talks about is a Toy Box. The right tools are important. Not necessarily bank-brakingly-expensive but of good equality. I promise to mention the tools and toys that I use for each recipe and a resource for them. On the right-hand side of this blog is a list of my favorite resources, please feel free to use them. Much-much more on tools later.
A few things just to keep us really happy in the kitchen...
- I would love-love your comments, questions and feedback. Send them my way.
- This is not as much blog as it is my kitchen. Gather around, beverage if you like, music - please. And absolutely feel free to comment as you go along or at the end or not at all. Your choice. Participate as you would as if you were standing here, in my kitchen. Watch your language, no personal attacks, no baiting, no self-promotion... that's probably enough, eh?
- Use real names, brands, ingredients, etc... only if you like. So we can all learn from them.
- Email me: patricia.harding@ymail.com or follow me: http://twitter.com/ChinadollFoods, if you like
- I'm also totally cool with you tweeting, retweeting, facebooking, tumblr-ing (and anything else you've got) these posts.
Just before I check-off the "write 1st blog post" on my to-do list. I'll be learning a new recipe from Happy In The Kitchen once a week. I would do it everyday, but this thing called my job will get in the way of that. Please be patient. Check-in often or better yet follow this blog, there's a link on the right-hand side.
This is so much about new discoveries in ingredients and cooking techniques. I can't wait to be surprised (good surprise, that is...)
Thanks for visiting and can't wait 'till you come back.
Patty
