My (New) Hero

Every now and again a girl just needs to be rescued...

When I need to be rescued, I become a damsel in distress in the kitchen.   I become bored with the recipes I have and my inspiration is lacking.  Over the years many a chef have brought me back to life, and this year one name keeps popping up over and over again in my kitchen.  A new inspiration in the kitchen just seems to pull my entire life out of its rut! 

As a child, I didn't wake up to watch Saturday morning cartoons.  Instead I flipped to PBS and watched Yan Can Cook and The Frugal Gourmet.  Their recipes were edible poetry (could that sound any cheesier?), and I hated when my Dad or Mom would change the channel.  Or worse yet, when The Victory Garden or This Old House would come on...yuck!

Right before I hit the big one-oh, I do remember watching a few late episodes of The French Chef with, the incomparable, Julia Child, and also grew a bit of a crush on America's Test Kitchen.  I also found my way to Justin Wilson (aka the Cajun Cook), and Mary Ann Esposito of Ciao Italia!

In high school I cooked out of necessity and became obsessed with travel after a trip to Southern Europe.  Aside from traveling, I loved strange local delicacies, and became a brief adventure eater.  In particular I remember a pasta dish in Barcelona that included fish eyeballs in the sauce, as well as the new to me menus at foreign Mc Donalds - gazpatcho and beer on a value menu...hell yes!  When I needed a foreign foodie fix I turned, in a twist of irony, to Rick Steve's Europe.  It was then and there that I decide he had the perfect job - travel and eating all over the world!  It was about that time that I decided to major in Asian Studies so I could travel for work, and I also started to secretly pine for a tv job teaching people about food and cultures!  This was, obviously, the perfect way to pick my college major (insert sarcasm).

During college I turned to the stars of Food Network to get me through crappy campus food.  In all honesty, the food on our campus wasn't half bad, but it certainly was not the gumbos of Emeril Lagasse!  We would sit up all hours on end in a huddle, drooling around the tv!

Grad school was a bit of a blur since I was working 50+ hours a week and in class 6+ hours a week, plus tried to have a social life.  Not such a good time.  If I watched tv it was bad sitcom reruns!

In 2009 Julie Powell and Julia Child dragged me out of a mental slump after my mom passed away.  Mastering the Art of French Cooking gave me something tedious to focus on, while Julie Powell's Julie & Julia gave me sarcasm and some laughter.  Julia Child's My Life In France gave me some laughs, too, and made me love the cooking icon more and more!  Not to mention, I now know I want a husband that is a clone of Paul Child!

After two lovely years with Julia, I am moving on.  Don't get me wrong, I never forgot these cooking icons and still turn to them for advise and entertainment, but this year I am looking to switch gears and focus just a smidgen.  Which brings us to..drum roll please...

Fannie Farmer!

My Aunt has allowed me, again and again, to peruse her kitchen's cookbook shelf.  Repeatedly I am drawn to the same book - The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book.  I, admittedly, am a novice collector of antiquary (or antique) books.  My first acquisition was a Victorian Era copy of Our Deportment: Or the Manners, Conduct, and Dress of the Most Refined Society.  It is actually a riveting read and offers a lot of insight into Victorian life, including dinner parties and table manners!  So, getting back to the main point, my Aunt's copy of Fannie Farmer's book, is actually from the late 1800's.  It was a gift to someone we don't know and eventually ended up in my Aunt's hand.  It has that loved, yet worn, antiquary book cover and smell - I LOVE the smell of books...especially the old ones!  No matter how many books are on that shelf, this book is always where I end up!

Some recipes are familiar, yet there are so many that are new to me.  Some recipes are simple, and others are complex and take hours to make.  I also considered it a twist of fate, that when my Rachel Ray Everyday showed up this month, Fannie Farmer was mentioned!  There was a time line of the history of the Oatmeal Raisin cookie, and Mrs. Farmer is credited with the first recipe for Oatmeal Raisin cookies as we know them today! 

Fannie Farmer's history is actually a pretty interesting read!  A well written condensed copy is on wikipedia!  This weekend I will be trying her caramel candy and butterscotch candy recipes, so be sure to check back tomorrow night for the results!

I also wanted to take some time today to share some of my favorite food blogs with all of you!

1. http://joeandbetsy.com/
Betsy, sister of my best friend, chronicles her and her husband's epic first year or marriage.  There is a good smammering of cooking on their blog, especially during their run on Project Food Blog!  For a drooling inducing experience, check out her Pumpkin A-Z, which includes 26 pumpkin delights!  Unfortunately, they recently have stopped posting on their site, but Betsy has moved to her own new blog, which brings me to...

2. http://lifeisbetsyful.com
Betsy just started this blog late last week, but so far I am in love with it!  She has a great mix of cooking, crafts, pet stories, photography, and fashion!  I am really looking forward to following her newest blog adventures! 

3. http://www.morethanamountfull.com/
Chef Dennis persistently leaves me wishing I could lick my computer screen!  With beautiful recipes and photos, as well as great giveaways and guests posts, I am constantly going back for more!  His recent braciole recipe is like no braciole I have seen before, and I cannot wait to make it. Plus, I gotta support my fellow local bloggers hehe! 

4. http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/
Mrs. Q's blog is a terrifying, yet real, look at what is happening in school cafeteria's across the country.  Her honest blogging has brought school lunches into the limelight and is helping create change!  She ate school lunches for an entire year and shares her positive and negative experiences.  Be forewarned... the PBJ is beyond cringe inducing! 

5. http://jen-simplyliving.blogspot.com/
Another sister of a friend shares some wonderful, easy, and cheap crafts that you can make with commonly found household objects for little or no cost!  She is always turning out something great, and I love checking in on her newest projects!