Not Fond of the ‘Recipe Within a Recipe’

I borrowed a cookbook once that promised me quick and easy crockpot recipes using only “five ingredients that everyone has in their pantry.” In one recipe, I needed a can of cream of chicken soup; in another, a jar of bbq sauce; in another, a half of a package of biscuit mix. Needless to say, as someone who truly cooks from scratch at almost every mealtime, I did not have such ingredients in my pantry (not even my own home-canned bbq sauce).

It’s taken me years to figure it out: I know too much. As someone who was raised on homegrown meat and vegetables, who learned to cook by watching family members, and who spent a few years working in the restaurant/catering world, it makes sense that I actually know how to cook. I’m not gifted, by any means, but I do feel comfortable dissecting a recipe and making wacky substitutions until it meets my specific requirements. Most of the time, it turns out.

With the increasing popularity of these “quick and easy” cookbooks, I’m starting to wonder if real, old-fashioned home cookin’ is a dying art. Will I, and others like me, become obsolesced by “Memories of. . .”?

Well, it’s another reason to go raw.