Reunited and it Feels So Good

Top Chef is hands down one of my favorite shows. 

     I just recently watched season 10 and am so thankful for its existence.  I have been re-inspired in the kitchen!

     As you know cooking is a passion of mine.  It is what makes me, me.  Well, cooking and writing and being awkward.  Well, I guess I should say then, cooking is a HUGE part of what makes up my identity.

      This last year I lost that identity.  I became pregnant with Fiona in the beginning of May last year.  I was sick as a dog during my first trimester and well into my second trimester.  All I could bear to eat was BRC’s from El Pollo Loco and Spicy Chicken Sandwiches from Carl’s Jr, with an occasional Stouffer's Mac and Cheese.  Following morning sickness came the exhaustion of the latter part of 2^nd trimester and all of 3^rd trimester.  The last thing I wanted to do was stand on my feet and cook.  (It is quite obvious a man came up with the phrase “pregnant, barefoot and in the kitchen.")  Jason became the chef of the household, which was a daily treat since he can make ANYTHING!  After pregnancy came a very demanding and adorable and perfect newborn with a list of new challenges to overcome. For example, let’s just say...breastfeeding is not for the faint of heart.  Easy to say, the last thing on my mind was cooking.  The only thing on my mind, if I found a minute to spare, was a possibility to snooze, for literally, half of that found minute.

     As I most recently posted Fiona is now 11 weeks old.  There are new freedoms that come with having a 2 ½ month old.  Not a lot, but some.  Like an hour block of time, give-or-take, some days more, some days less. 

     With that hour-or-so block of time I have been trying to get back in the swing of cooking. 

     At first it was really frustrating because the knife skills I had finally started to get good at last year were TERRIBLE.  My taste was off, my timing was off, my flavors were off, and my experimenting confidence was gone. 

     Inspiration to cook was fleeting. 

     So  I baked.  And baked.  And baked. 

     Baking is wonderful.  However, baking is best when you eat a slice or a piece of what you made and give the rest of the tasty/calorie filled treats away.  But, I found that when I took the time to bake and to clean all the extra dishes by hand, I was too attached to my treats that I had spent my only free hour making, away. 

     So I ate.  And ate.  And ate.

     The only person I let eat them besides myself was Jason.  Needless to say we ate a lot of baked goods for a couple of weeks.  This was not helping our after-pregnancy figures.

     We realized we didn't have an excuse anymore, and have decided to eat healthy and quasi-Paleo again.  A parallel to this decision was my watching of Top Chef.  I remembered all the great flavors out there, and saw how they were juxtaposing seasonal ingredients with fresh salads and game.  They were cooking pretty paleoesque.  It was EXACTLY what I needed.  Top Chef inspired me to make new dishes in the kitchen that will encourage us to eat Paleo as a lifestyle again.  For the last 2 weeks we have been eating brand new flavors, which is crucial to the Paleo lifestyle.  Every day I find myself buzzing around the kitchen experimenting.

Ladies and gentleman:  I AM BACK!

And yes, IT FEELS SO GOOD!

Thanks Top Chef!

Cheers!!