A Cook in Transition

I haven't been cooking lately, thus I haven't been writing lately. I moved into a new apartment a week ago, just three blocks from my last one. It's the first time I've lived alone since 1996. As I was packing up my belongings to venture out on my own it dawned on me that everything in the apartment I had been living in belonged to my roommate/ex-boyfriend. He gave me the option of taking anything I might need to keep myself fed in my new space, but I decided that I wanted to start from scratch.

So now I'm sitting here in my new, empty apartment (Thank you Brian for helping me find something to sit on) wondering where to begin on the list of all of the things I need to buy. The lamps in the living area are sitting on cardboard boxes, all of the artwork is lined up against the floor boards, the mattress is without a frame, the deadbolt sits in its package by the front door, boxes sit unpacked, the fridge is empty and somehow I no longer even own plates, bowls, measuring cups, pans, or utensils.

Every time I think of walking into a store to look for the things I need I find myself overwhelmed by the possibilities. This is one of the nicest apartments I've ever lived in, the location is amazing and I actually have a key to a private park, but my new kitchen is really small and it doesn't have a dishwasher. Every item I purchase needs to be carefully considered in terms of where it will fit and how difficult it will be to wash by hand (that food processor I bought earlier this year was so much more exciting when I could just toss all the parts into the dishwasher).

I have a feeling however, that I'm about to be inspired out of my non-cooking state. Tomorrow night I start fine cooking classes at the Institute of Culinary Education. The course is divided into 5 5-hour sessions and covers the essentials and techniques of fine cooking. So even if I'm not doing any cooking for a while in my own kitchen I'll still be cooking, and I'll be sure to keep you posted about all of the cool things I learn.

Comments

[Megan Longo]

I recently finished a 5-week cooking course. I really didn't learn anything I didn't already know, but it was great to kick back with a glass of wine and 12 adults I didn't know to do some fine cooking and eating at the end of every class In fact, this afternoon I finished the course with a knife skills class, the final installment. We made a delicious fresh salsa that I'm taking to Lincoln tomorrow to share with my aunts (including your mama).

Ingredients: (all finely diced)

Strawberries
Mangos
Garlic
Onion
Tomato
Tomatillos
Yellow Pepper
Red Pepper
Salt
Pepper
Freshly squeezed orange & lime juice