I got a text a few days ago from my brother-in-law that read: I'm calling in a huge favor...Can I have some inspiration for things to make for dinner? On a beginner to low-intermediate level of difficulty. First, I'm super proud of him because he's such a great husband to my sister, looking for more ways to help contribute around the house. (I'm a fan of both my brothers in law, just to be clear.) Next, I started thinking about what kinds of recipes I think my sister and BIL would like...mind goes totally blank, followed by massive overload of ideas. Maybe they'd like some bean dishes. I've got that super easy, use whatever veggies you have on-hand, stir fry I know they like. Maybe some slow cooker recipes, or stuff you can throw on a grill. It was a flood of ideas but nothing that helpful. I recalled the adage "give a man a fish, feed him for a day..." Well, if you give someone a recipe, you give him an idea for one meal. But if I share wher
It must have been some time around age 13 when I started my love affair with cooking magazines and food writing in general. I had read through all my mother's cookbooks many a time, and was gaining an interest in what other people cooked and ate. I would check out old issues of Bon Appetit and Gourmet from the library, then buy them (or beg Mom to!) once in a while from the newsstand, which ultimately led to my asking for a subscription to Gourmet for my birthday (at age 14? 15?). I remember reading these magazines cover to cover, relishing each word, staring at the photos, trying to dream about what the dishes would taste like. I don't recall whether I was actually cooking any of the recipes or simply drooling on the pages; if I wasn't cooking, at least it gave me an academic perspective on food culture, ingredients, and high-end restaurants where I'd likely never dine. Ruth Reichl was the editor in chief of Gourmet magazine around the time I started to read it.