I have always wanted to do a food blog (actually, I did start a couple which I abandoned after a post or two) but I just can't seem to find the right voice, the right style, the right things to post. Food and recipe blogs are a dime a dozen and I wanted to find a niche of my own. You can be your own worst enemy and critic when starting new projects like this, and again defeatist me scored big points for some time.
And then I was asked to try my hand out in a recipe blog. It was a paid assignment so naturally I just went ahead and did the required number of posts. I also thought it was a good way to test the waters and see how friends would respond to it (okay, so I was actually looking for an affirmation!).
The results were not earth-shaking, I wasn't miraculously offered any long-term blogging or a book deal because of it. But what I learned was far more valuable.
I learned to say "So what?"
"So what" if there are a gabajillion food blogs out there? If I want to write about something, post a picture of something I made and share the recipe because it makes me feel good to do so, then I shouldn't worry about what others are doing. I find inspiration from some of those blogs anyway and it is my hope that mine will also get to inspire even one soul to say "Hey, cooking is not rocket science!"
"So what" if the food has been done and written to death? That's the fun in cooking. There is no singular right way to do it (no matter what stuck-up, egotistical chefs say) - there's magic in creating a dish and it's always in your hands. Like most things in life, it can be messy, it won't always be perfect, there may be one or two ingredients missing but as long as it's fun, then it's worth the adventure.
"So what" if I don't have pretty plates and utensils or a kitchen worthy to be featured in Architectural Digest? My dishes may not even be photogenic at times (at which point I will beg for your indulgence and say right now that I will occasionally borrow a Flickr photo) but if they can get you to start cooking or having your own ideas about how to improve them, then I have earned my brownie points (and a brownie for dessert, too!).
"So what" if only a handful of people get to read it? I have no illusions of being a Julia Child or a Nigella Lawson (and especially not Rachel Ray!). When my recipe blogs ran for a week, I was happy enough with friends who left good comments or said that they will do the recipe. It reminded me of what food and cooking meant to me all this time - sharing and enjoying it with people who matter to me.
And if in the end it turns out bad...well, I know it won't stop me from cooking and still creating.
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Here's an easy recipe for one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. The Cubans call it Picadillo, Filipinos call it Giniling or Arroz a la Cubana.
I just call it yummy.
Picadillo
1 lb. ground beef (or use ground pork)
2 tomatoes, diced
Diced green peppers
Diced white onions
1/2 cup green peas (or you can also use corn if you want it sweeter)
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 pcs bay leaves
1/2 cup beef stock
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sweet pimenton
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with: Fried banana slices and egg
Saute garlic and onion. Add diced tomatoes and green peppers and cook until tomatoes are soft. Add ground meat and mash down so there are no big and uneven mounds of meat. Brown the meat and add stock, soy sauce, bay leaves, cumin, pimenton, salt and pepper. Stir and cover, letting it simmer for about 20 minutes. Check the seasoning level and adjust according to taste. Add the green peas and continue simmering for about 5 minutes.
(Have leftovers? Heat up some tortillas, shred some cheddar cheese and scramble up a couple of eggs. Layer the picadillo with the scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese, roll them all up in the tortilla - and you've got yourself a yummy breakfast tortilla! You can also add some salsa for that extra kick.)
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