Julie and Julia vs. Meg and Ree

As I'm sure most of you know by now, there was an author named Julie Powell who wrote about her experience cooking all of Julia Childs' recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. It was an interesting concept and had me thinking about what cookbooks I would like to make everything in.

By now, I'm sure you have all gathered that I like the Pioneer Woman and her cookbook; The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Before I continue, I would like to once again explain why.

1. I grocery shop at Walmart and Target. There has only been one ingredient I could not find in either of those stores...and to be honest, I'm not sure I checked at Walmart.
2. The woman is practical. She gives options if you are missing some ingredient or uses dried herbs occasionally instead of fresh. Basically she lives in the middle of no where, so her ingredients have to be something she can have easy access to.
3. She gives ideas on how to preserve the food. Example: when and how to freeze or store a recipe, etc (until my husband went searching, I had a pie plate of her Cinnamon Rolls in my freezer).
4. And while this doesn't have anything to do with her cooking, her writing is amusing. Who doesn't like to be reminded to poor yourself a glass of wine while cooking with it? Or to use more butter? Wine and butter are good...although probably not together.

So, no, I am not going to be writing about every recipe I make. And I do not have a time frame on which to cook everything in her cookbook. I have been choosing two to three recipes a week and giving it a shot. The more I cook the more I realize I may end up doing the whole book and cooking something I would not have normally cooked. For example, I think I may end up making her prune cake...and that is not something I would have said when I first purchased the book and I believe it to be a true possibility now.

I guess we will see how this goes and how it is followed through. I may post occasional blogs about my progress, but I will not be writing about every recipe.

Thought of the Day

The theme today is finding yourself. First thing you should do is decide what you want to be. Then work towards making that happen. -Simon

(This was the message, by the time I got to the computer I forgot the exact words.)

People Who Inspire Me: Part 1

Elizabeth Gilbert-
She is the woman who wrote the novel  Eat Pray Love. Her book is about her self discovery after a divorce. She spent a year traveling to devolp different parts of her self. She went to Italy to discover the enjoyments of life, India to develop her spirituality and Bali to find a balance between worldly and spirtual blessings. What I admire about her is she knew what she needed and she knew how to get it.I'm still trying to figure out what is missing in my life...and I hope that if/when I figure it out I have the means and ability to go and get it as well. Until then I guess I will be reading her book to brainstorm and travel with her across the world.

The Pioneer Woman-
This woman is just plain awesome. I'll be honest...I'm a little jealous. She is a blogger (food, photography, homeschooling, etc), and author AND soon to be Food Network Star. She is always a fun a read and all her food looks amazing. I think she has the best job in the world. She gets to be creative while staying at home and taking care of her family. I can't wait to watch her show on the Food Network and learn more recipes from her!

Grandma-
My Grandma was the inspiration for my Bucket List. She was such an adventure seeker and did this while remaining devoted to her family. She was a traveler, learned how to fly a plane and a painter/crafter. She was also a devoted Catholic who prayed the Rosary every night. I admire her devotion to God, her family and her adventurous spirit. I hope to adequately incorporate these three things into my life.