Who's Your INSPIRATION?

Who's your cooking inspiration?  For me it originally started with my mom, grandmother and aunts.  With a Ukrainian background, endless hours were spent in the kitchens of many family cooks, all creating their wonderful "home made" masterpieces.  Many of my relatives had huge gardens, orchards,  farms that raised livestock….and even in Manitoba my uncle had a wheat farm!!

Everything like milk, bread, meat, fruits and vegetables all came from someone in the family.  Freezers where always full, and cold rooms contained many jars of sauces, jams and pickles.  Oh how the memory of the fall and smell of "sauerkraut" still creeps into my senses.

Mostly everything was made by memory.  I do have a few scribbles of notes that my mom had….at least I managed to find her pumpkin pie recipe, but mostly all these wonderful ladies cooked from the heart!!

Although I loved (and still do) many of the family favourites, after getting married I thought it was time for me to get inspired on my own, trying different things, different food cultures….tasting the world with never leaving home!!  So my immense cookbook collection got underway.  Many years later I am still adding to the collection…in fact I just added 3 new books last month (well really my husband surprised me with them).  My collection also includes magazines and binders full of Internet recipes as well.  

Along with the books, I am an avid fan of so many cooking shows.  Top Chef, Master Chef, many of the celebrity chef shows….and one of my all time favourite shows was Junior Master Chef.  At the end of that show my husband laughed and said, "I thought you were a good cook, you better pick it up a notch".  I laughed too….but totally agreed!!

These things have inspired me to cook and try things I would have never even thought of.  I do remember once we were having company for dinner, and I decided to try something new.  My mom said to me, "You've never cooked that before, how are you going to serve it to guests"?  My answer was…they don't know that!!

Over the years I have cooked fresh pasta, made curries, Moroccan lamb, Thai food, sushi, endless food adventures….all with a little inspiration.  Next time you are in the mood for a certain cuisine….try cooking it.  You might be surprised at what you are able to accomplish in the kitchen.  I love when I try something new and say:  I MADE THAT!!