Feeding Frenzy

So I’m not sure why, but I’ve suddenly become obsessed with cooking and trying new recipes.  I can point to several factors that may have led to this cooking frenzy.  1, Pinterest has an amazing, mouth-watering, and never-ending array of food pictures posted by random people. 2, it’s really cold and I don’t want to go outside for every lunch and dinner, nor do I want to cook eggs, oatmeal, or noodles for every meal.  3, now that I’m done teaching I have more free time to do what I want.  4, although I totally love Chinese food, I guess maybe I got a little tired of it.  5, ok I admit, I kinda like cooking.

I have to say, I’m no expert, and not everything I try turns out very well.  But it’s definitely satisfying to go to all that work and then sit down to a steaming bowl of I-made-this-myself!  Some of my recent cooking/baking exploits include oreos baked in cookie dough (cookie inside a cookie), chili from scratch (as in, I prepared dried beans, boiled tomatoes, boiled corn on the cob, chopped hella onions, chili peppers, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc.  Canned beans and vegetables are hard to find and rather expensive here), spaghetti (I didn’t make the sauce from scratch but I improved it with hella onions, mushrooms, and some spicy powder.  In my freezer I have bananas and yogurt freezing in ice cube trays.  I am planning today or tomorrow to make some apple oatmeal streusel muffins.

Hey look! There's an oreo in my cookie!

Another thing that inspired my cooking is that I realized that just because products aren't sold in the same form that I'm used to, it doesn't mean I can't find alternate ways to make them. For example, even though I'm used to making chili with canned beans, tomatoes, and corn, and just throwing it all together, I can achieve an equally delicious chili even here in China, just by putting in some extra work.

Since I don’t have to get up early to teach, my days now consist of sleeping in late and enjoying the warm comfort of my bed and imagining what delicious food I will make that day.  Then after breakfast, I look at Pinterest for something delicious to cook next.  So I’m either eating or planning the next meal all day.  Plus finishing my grades and watching movies.  And trying to stay warm.

Another thing I forgot to say about the cooking and baking is that there are many foods from home that I miss a lot (Mexican, Italian- basically I miss variety).  So instead of wallowing in the frustration that I can't find the foods I miss, or that they're very expensive for my volunteer salary, I am trying to find ways to re-create the experience and make do with the ingredients I do have here.  Some things have to be made from scratch.  But it's liberating to know that this is possible and I don't have to do without.  For example, I can't find tortillas here but I know I can make them from scratch.  I can buy good cheese at Wal Mart (I haven't yet because I'm saving money for my winter travels) and so I can make my own Mexican food.  I even found a recipe yesterday for homemade enchilada sauce!!  What else can I do? The possibilities are very exciting.

I'm going to keep a Pinterest board of Things I've made, so you can know my experiences: http://pinterest.com/miramade/things-i-ve-made/