Recipes as Outlines

I woke up this morning and the air coming in the window was definitely COOL!  For the first time that I can ever remember, I decided before 8:00 in the morning what I am going to make for dinner.  Are you ready. . . . . PUMPKIN PANCAKES.  I checked, and yes, I do have a can of pumpkin in the pantry.  I checked, and yes, there is a recipe on recipes.com that lists ingredients that I already have.  And. . . no, I have never made pancakes from scratch, only with Bisquick.  So, this may be my adventure for the day.  I suppose it is kind of fitting, since this is September 1st and on the menu at The Original Pancake House up in Salem, Oregon, pumpkin pancakes are served only September through February.  You also may be wondering . . . . why not make pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, why wait till dinner?  Well, I did consider breakfast. . . . but I'm not much of a morning cook, and Woody is at a soccer tournament at the high school. . . . so, I am waiting till dinner.  Woody doesn't even know what he's in for! 

Speaking of recipes. . . . I found another treasure this week.  (this may seem like a rabbit trail, but bear with me)  I usually have a stack of books waiting to be read, or sometimes several stacks.  I have to admit that lately I have been picking up my kindle more and more (yes, I love it), even though I continue to collect stacks of books that are on my "want to read" list.  Well earlier this week, I thought my kindle died.  I just found out through talking to Sam, that it actually just turned itself off.  All this time that I thought I was turning it off, I was just letting it sleep. (I did occasionally wonder why there was still a picture on the screen when I thought I was turning it off)  To finish the kindle "rabbit trail", Sam was able to help me turn it back on this morning.  He also promised me he wouldn't tell anyone of my total lack of techno "know how".  I'll let him off the hook by just putting it out there now.  I kept looking everywhere for my kindle guide, because I knew I had read directions and all that stuff.  After Sam helped me get it turned back on I realized everything I had read was actually on my kindle. So I ask. . . What help is that when you can't turn the darned thing on?????
Note to self. . . . just call Sam.

Anyway. . . . one of the books I picked up when my kindle was "dead", or actually just "off", was one that my dear friend Leslie had sent to me.  It is by Katie Couric, entitled "The Best Advice I Ever Got" (Lessons from Extraordinary Lives).  I love it too, especially because it is short little chapters from different people. . . very interesting . . . and yes, often inspiring!  One of my favorites so far is the chapter from Mario Batali, a celebrity chef and restaurateur.  His chapter is entitled, Life is Not a Recipe. (so you see, we have finally come back around to recipes!)  Here are some quotes from his chapter that I love. . . "The more fake and commercialized the world gets, the more people respond to things that have a real core of truth.  Whatever you choose to do with your life, whether it's  running a company or cooking dinner, stand for something you know is true.  If there's a recipe for success, it's staying real and true. . . . Which reminds me, life is not a recipe.  Recipes are just descriptions of one person's take on one moment in time.  They are not rules, they are just suggestions that got written down."

I think one reason I like that so much is that I am one who prefers to cook without adhering exactly to a recipe.  For instance, I am already thinking about how I am going to adjust the pumpkin pancake recipe I found. . . to put in more of the ingredients I like (for instance, chocolate chips), and less of those I don't like (the recipe calls for vinegar???).  That may sound scary to some of you. . . . and well. . . . it might turn out scary too. . . .but I don't care. . . . Woody will still love me.  (and we can always order a pizza)   Sara and I loved to watch cooking shows while she was in the hospital, or at home having to lay in her chair.  While she was on chemo she used to say that even if she couldn't eat, at least she could enjoy thinking about some of that deliciousness.  It dawned on me that one reason I liked those shows (because I really don't like to cook all that much), was that you never saw any of those people following a recipe.  They just took ingredients and made something up!  (I am speaking specifically of Chopped and Cupcake Wars, our favorites) 

Now. . . I DO believe in recipes.  I know you (or at least I) have to have an outline, and there are certain things that have to be maintained. . . like cooking time and temperature, and some basic ingredients. But beyond that. . . is the adventure.  My adventure for tonight. . . pumpkin pancakes from scratch.  I may or may not blog about how they turn out.

160.  Sam's technological genius, and the fact that he doesn't make fun of his mother
161.  Recipes as outlines
162.  Saturday mornings
163.  Productive work weeks
164.  Simple pleasures
165.  Three day weekends!