Wednesday, May 4, 2011

My Dan-Dan san's Lao Puo

Lately, a lot of people have been asking me what I make for dinner. They're especially curious because Bobcat's Japanese, I'm from Taiwan, and we live in states. Generally, I research & purchase ingredients that are good for our health and/or are on sale (in-season). For breakfast, it's typically fruit/veggie smoothie with grounded flaxseed and wheat germ, yogurt with honey & grinded nuts, and something a little fulfilling (ie. 1 toast). Sometimes I'll do oatmeal if I have leftover soup from the night before. Lunch for the Bobcat used to be cereal, but he finally got sick of it one day. Now, it's sandwiches/wraps with chips, nuts, dried fruit. For some reason, I never bring my own sandwich. I either bring leftovers, go out and buy something, or just munch on chips. Dinners range from soba, pasta, stir-frys with rice, curry rice, etc. All simple things tossed together, depending on what ingredients we have at home. My goal is to clean out our fridge/pantry as much as possible, I absolutely hate throwing out food that has gone bad or expired. I think this is because my mother is a grocery shopaholic that stores way too much food (which often expires/goes bad).

Tossing things together is simple, but uninspiring, because I tend to use seasonings/flavor combinations I'm familiar with. This does nothing for my cooking skills, and it's pretty boring overall. Cooking is a gesture of love. I want to see excitement and joy as "new" dishes tantalize his tastebuds. Perhaps it's time to actually use my collection of cookbooks, instead of just admiring them.

I recently purchased Gwyneth Paltrow's "My Father's Daughter" cookbook. I completely adore and admire everything she does. Not only is she multi-talented, she seems so down-to-earth, kind, goofy, with such humility during interviews. I pre-ordered her cookbook as soon as I could, not knowing what to expect. I really, really love it. All of her recipes are simple & brief. I love knowing what she makes for her family & friends. And most of all, you can really feel her love for her family, especially her father, through the stories & photos. I am 'my daddy's girl', and I completely love and admire my dad. But I am often annoyed, irritated by him. Through this cookbook, she inspired me to appreciate his presence, and really strive to be more loving instead of frustrated. You really never know when the last day will be, and I'd hate to live in regret.

With all of those random thoughts in mind, I decided to try to go through "My Father's Daughter" recipes. I'm excited to do some browsing tonight, put together a shopping list, and begin this adventure ASAP!