I love cooking for other people, but I don't usually get the opportunity; so when my wife called and told me that my 4 year hold had just invited his friend over for dinner along with her mom, I was thrilled. What a great idea! When she told me that they would be over in 45 minutes, I only panicked for a minute, then my "training" kicked in.
What I mean by training is that I have been experimenting with cooking, different techniques and flavor combinations for a long time. My family has been my research subjects. This has been an important step in developing my own personal culinary style and point of view-I do these experiments so that when the time comes, I can perform with excellence.
I immediately thought about what I had on hand to make a complete meal. Well, I had some homemade chicken stock I had just made the night before, and I had some leftover chicken. Carrots, onion, and celery were in the fridge, so it made sense to make soup. The only problem is that soup is often better when left to simmer over a long period of time. It takes time for noodles and vegetables to soften in the broth, so I came up with an idea, roast the vegetables before putting them in the broth.
I went furiously to work, chopping veggies and heating some peanut oil. I did all this in one pot. First I roasted the veggies in the oil until they were just starting to soften. Then I dumped in about 3 quarts of broth and waited until it just about boiled, then reduced to a simmer. I added salt, pepper, and garlic (it's best not to experiment with different, untested ingredients when you are serving others- you test different ingredients when you're serving yourself or your family).
I then decided that cornbread would be a great quick bread to serve with the soup. While the soup simmered, I mixed up corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, and milk and made a batch of corn bread. In less than an hour, I had put together a pot of soup and corn bread for dinner.
About mid-way in to this process, it occurred to me that given the same situation in the past, I would have just ordered pizza. I think the transformation is complete... pizza is no longer my go-to meal in a pinch. In fact, if I had decided pizza was the best meal in this situation, I would have dismissed the idea, recognizing that I needed at least an hour for the dough to rise.
I think this illustrates what can happen when you change your priorities, over time these new habits become so embedded into your daily life, that the old habits and practices die. It was a very nice meal, with some wonderful people and I think the soup and corn bread meal was enjoyed by all. I certainly hope to be able to do it again sometime soon- just give me 45 minutes to an hour and I'll have a full meal for you ;-)
I am so thankful that I committed to this change so many years ago. I hope that the 40 day fast worked well for you and hope that you have developed some healthy, positive habits. Good luck and God bless!
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