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Don't be afraid of Dinner...

I was flipping through the 9000 available channels that I have on Direct TV and finally landed on a rerun of Nigela Lawson's cooking show. Although it's shot and edited very well, the content itself is deceiving to me.  




Now, don't get me wrong, I love watching cooking shows as much as the next person and heck if I had a dime for every time I've been asked to do my own cooking show, well, I'd have a  lot of dimes!  I think it's a fairly big stretch to ask people to "try this recipe" when it involves appliances they do not or ever would own; ingredients they've not only never heard of but there's a snowball's chance in Hell that they will find them at the local market...


...and let's be serious, who has 4 hours to marinate anything let along remember to do it as you are running out the door with your toothbrush still in your hand, hoping that you put on underpants!




I think, what folks need is a solid 10 or 15 minutes of colorful instruction from someone you want to watch, who can lead you through the process of cooking with things you already have in your kitchen, in the timeframe that you have available.  It never has to be dinner the same old way.



I know I'm going to get a lot of heat for this comment but here goes... even Julia Child's show (and I've watched every episode) isn't realistic for the average American household. It just isn't.  I get that we are all trying to eat healthier and I'm right there with you!  The question is, how to do that within the financial and physical time parameters that the everyday, ordinary person is plagued with?


Here's what I'm thinking... start with what you have immediately available in your area.  By this I mean, farmers markets, local vendors, grocery stores.



 Then, what are the popular dishes in your household?  (Half of my household is vegetarian and the other half are carnivores so finding common ground is always exciting!)  It's not as daunting a task as it may seem.  Fresh veggies, seasonal of course, are very attractive to one's pocket book.  Throw in some pasta and Bob's your Uncle!  







There are lots of choices too even at the Piggly Wiggly for gluten free items (in case there are food allergies you need to be concerned about).  



Go to your pantry (or drawers cuz that's what I have) or open your fridge and take a look.  Don't be afraid, dinner is in there... waiting for you :o)


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