Time to Cook!

Hi there – my name is “Susu”.  Thanks for stopping by!

Whether you work inside or outside of the home, finding the time to cook a homemade dinner can be a challenge.  During the week, you might be looking for inspiration for a quick meal, whereas over the weekend you might have more time to spend on a more involved meal or you might be entertaining.  Regardless, my goal is to get people cooking more at home.  Take-out food and convenience meals (out of a box) have become … well, so convenient, that many people are not cooking.

I have my nights when I need to pull something out of the freezer or love to pick up a pizza or go out to eat, but I do try to cook at home most nights.

This blog is a collection of my favorite recipes – all are relatively:

• healthy (well, except for the desserts!)
• fresh (I try to limit using canned food, etc.)
• straight forward (recipes will vary in time, but I tried to include approachable recipes and skipped the very over-the-top ones that I just don’t have time for anymore)
• inspiring

Many recipes are from renowned favorite chefs and cookbooks in my collection (be careful when you open that overhead cupboard!), magazines that I subscribe to, and blogs I wander off to (this is how I relax in front of the TV many nights), and some are my own creations.

My earliest memories of cooking were in the kitchen with my grandmother “Balmy”.  Every time I got dropped off to play with her, she had a recipe planned for us.  Ingredients were usually laid out on the counter waiting for me, and I’d put on my apron and we’d get to work.  We usually baked cookies (what child wouldn’t love that?) and I delighted in the mess, all of the steps, and watching Balmy as she knew just what to do next.  We would always play cards or Rummikub while the cookies baked … and eventually got to sample our creation.  Balmy was a great cook and a perfectionist – she was always in search of the best (fill in the blank) and made dozens of versions of the same dish until she found the one she was happy with. She had all of her recipes hand-typed on index cards and filed together by dish with notes “very good”, etc.  I suffer from the same high standards and do try multiple versions of a (fill in the blank) until I’m satisfied with one that I love.

Now, I enjoy cooking for my family and friends in the San Francisco Bay Area – it’s my creative outlet and it helps me relax.  My husband “Charles” encourages me to try new things in the kitchen and is understanding when I miss!  My boys “Hayes” (3 1/2 years old) and “Christopher” (2 years old, but just a step behind his older bro!) are solid eaters and (so far) tolerate my cooking.  During the week, I have my hands full and only have time for simple meals.  Over the weekend, I like to spend more time on recipes and cooking for friends.  I used to enjoy the challenge of making moussaka or a chocolate ganache cake, but life has changed and little ones keep me busy.  I now try to focus on simpler recipes that fit into my lifestyle.  I try to do some meal prep (marinade my chicken or steak or cut up some veggies) throughout the day when I have a little window of free time – 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there – so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming as the dinner hour approaches.

This blog is a creative outlet for me while I’m at home raising my boys.   I’ll hope to post a new recipe every few weeks (or when life allows!)  It will be fun to share and talk about recipes that I love, and I hope to inspire people to cook more at home.  Enough about me … it’s time to cook!

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