Food for Thought

While my sparkling wit and sharp commentary are no doubt captivating, I thought it was time to add another feature to my blog: a feature on food!  More specifically, it's about cooking.  Despite having a fabulous cook for a mom, I never actually learned to "cook" until I left home for college, and, even then, it wasn't until I lived off-campus that I found an incentive to make my own food (cheaper and more delicious).  Once I discovered that I wasn't half-bad at this cooking stuff, I realized that what I loved about it, other than the part where I get to eat what I make, is that cooking goes hand-in-hand with the things I value most in life: family, friends, and good times.  

If you know me -- or have been at the receiving end of my recipes -- you know that I hold two truths of cooking self-evident: that food is meant to be shared and that there isn't a recipe that can't be improved.  My penchant for experimentation has been useful in Kazakhstan, where the ingredients I largely depend on in the United States are scarce or non-existent (I would kill for some black beans and tortillas right now).  Rather than let this stop me from cooking, I've accepted the challenge.  Of course, it is further complicated by the fact that I have to use a communal kitchen with an incredibly limited set of appliances (literally, we have two stoves and that's it) and a lack of proper cooking accouterments.  

A pan-fried chickpea salad (with leeks and spinach) that I made this week. 

Still, my experience cooking in this challenging environment tells me it is possible to cook what you like wherever you are, and I hope that by chronicling some of my efforts on a semi-regular basis, I can encourage you to find ways to adapt the recipes and foods you love to whatever limitations you face.  

Also, any thoughts on a clever, perhaps punny title for this feature?  Sound off in the comments below -- or, you know, email me.  Anything referencing MacGyver will get bonus points.