Last week, Rachel Wilkerson challenged her readers to own the things they feel guilty about, especially if they’re not actually sorry. Sometimes I get caught up in the health blogging world and don’t want to post everything I’ve cooked because not everything I’ve made is healthy. But this is a food blog. It’s not a health blog, or a vegetarian blog, or a weight loss blog. It’s about what happens in my kitchen. Granted, that’s usually healthy, vegetarian food because that’s what we usually eat. But not always.
Everyone likes butter and fat and sweet treats. But unlike some people I know, I haven’t cut them out of my diet. Just because we don’t really eat meat, it doesn’t mean we don’t eat cookies. Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules, says “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.”. It may be my favorite rule in the book.
I love making baked goods and comfort food. And I’m not giving them up any time soon.
Two of my all time, absolute favorite food bloggers are Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, and Deb Perelman of smitten kitchen. Sorry I’m Not Sorry.
What sorts of recipes do these lovely women post? From their “About” pages: “A lot of comfort foods stepped up a bit” (Deb) and “… all the cowboy-friendly dishes I’ve taught myself to cook through the years. There’s butter involved.” (Ree). Their recipes are amazing and I’m going to continue making them.
That’s right: no substitutions, agave, stevia, vegan cheese or fake butter here. Just like grandma made ’em.
So, with that said:
Wednesday I made Deb’s snickerdoodles. It’s the same recipe I used last September when I was out of work, which makes me wonder if they’re the official cookies of my unemployment. Anyway, they’re awesome. And I didn’t bother to halve the recipe.
Yesterday I made Mac and Cheese…and Panko a la Ree for dinner. We ate about a third of it, and I expect the rest won’t last long. The tomatoes make the dish. (That’s summer squash in the background, I know it’s hard to tell.) I hadn’t made mac and cheese for awhile and it’s so good! By the way, once you start cooking for yourself, the stuff in the box with the powdery orange “cheese” doesn’t taste so great.
This morning I made the Peach Shortbread from smitten kitchen, for no other reason than it appeared in my Reader, I love peaches, we had peaches that were past their prime, and I didn’t have any other plans for the day. There aren’t too many things I like better in this world than peaches or shortbread, so the recipe struck me as pretty genius. Did I mention I’ve got time on my hands?
How do we do it?
We love our freezer, for one thing. The cookies are hanging out there and we’re taking out a few every day to eat-a little trick I learned from my mother-in-law. It’s the perfect way to always have fresh cookies. Moderation still matters (but you knew that).
And I don’t always cook like this, only when I actually get some free time (thanks unemployment!). Soon it’ll be back to vegetable soup, rice and beans, and pasta with tomato sauce. But sometimes life (and meal planning) need a change of pace. And I’m not going to not avoid posting something delicious because it’s not “healthy”.
I asked Brian the other day if we could open a bakery (because it’s as much about the creation as it is about the eating). He said no. So I guess I’ll just keep making things for the two of us.
I love making baked goods and comfort food. And I’m not giving them up any time soon.
YAY! I prefer to define healthy living as balanced living, so you’re going to have all kinds of food in there. That’s a-ok. :) I LOOOOVE a good mac ‘n cheese.
If you move to Portland, I will open a bakery with you !! :)
AMEN!!! I love my sweet treats and don’t give them up even with a sugar allergy. I just adjust to enjoy. Sweet treats are good for the soul :-)
I love that rule! I can’t remember what life was like without cooking everything myself! Food is meant to be enjoyed! And I love Ree too! Our grandparents ate real food and they were healthy! The “more healthy” we get the more strange allergies and ailments people seem to have!
AMEN to this post!! I love real food and I love bloggers that share recipes like this…that peach shortbread is making me drool. Real butter, real sugar — it’s not evil, people!
Heck Yea, I love comfort foods. I feel no need to make substitutes for cheesy mac n cheese!
Hello, I hope you have a good day! Very cool article, well structured and very thought out. I am looking forward to reading more of your posts in the future.