Wed 3 Feb 2010
A Very Good Place to Start | Salty Spoon Challenge, Month 1
Posted by Bria under Salty Spoon Challenges
Is there anything more effervescently exciting to send out into the world than an invitation? Regardless of the event, I find a certain kind of lime green, spine-buzzing energy every time I nudge one out for consideration. By saying to your recipients here, come share this with me, you open a piece of yourself to them and wordlessly communicate your (hopefully) very best intentions. It’s a magical practice and I hope I never tire of it.
So I am very, very excited to invite you today to join me for the coming year in the Salty Spoon Challenge. Each month, I will pose a new kitchen challenge that is designed to help you adopt the basic habit of cooking for yourself. We will start small and build from there. The challenges will be cumulative; part of each month’s new challenge will be to maintain the goals of the preceding challenges, unless otherwise indicated. We’ll do this for a year. You can join any time. You can quit any time. All you have to do is try. The challenges are open to anyone and everyone, regardless of experience. The point here is not to follow a specific learn-to-cook curriculum, but rather to increase your skills and comfort in the kitchen by challenging yourself with one new parameter a month. As we work through the challenges, we’ll think critically about how and what we feed ourselves. At the end of a year, we’ll have made incremental but meaningful changes to our approach to our food.
The challenges will begin on (or around) the first day of each month. There will be a post on the Salty Spoon home page announcing the challenge, and the Salty Spoon Challenge page (links at the top right) will list links to past challenges. We can discuss ideas, tips, progress, and frustrations in the challenge post for the current month - comments will always stay open.
There are hundreds (thousands?) of food blogs in this vast internet of ours. I am proud to be a part of such a vibrant, expansive community. In a bout of January reflection, I gave extensive and serious consideration to what exactly I want to bring to this landscape. I thought about why I started The Salty Spoon in the first place: to help inspire other busy people to get in their kitchens and start cooking. I thought about how I felt about cooking when I was living in my first apartment after college. The thought of preparing the majority of my meals for myself was overwhelming. I liked to bake, but that was about it. My arrival at my present state of cooking most of my food at home came gradually, over a period of several years.
Looking back, I wish I had taken a more purposeful approach from the beginning. And that’s what I’ve decided to offer you through the Salty Spoon Challenge - a purposeful approach to adopting the habit of cooking for yourself. Stick with it, and in a year you will find yourself in your kitchen more often, preparing better food, and enjoying it. We’ll get there, I promise.
Let’s start with a few guidelines. First, stay positive. Cooking is about learning, thinking, experimenting, and indulging. I do not accept the statement “I can’t cook.” If you can read and follow directions with a basic helping of common sense, you can cook. This isn’t about turning out Michelin-worthy covers for 200 dinner guests; it’s about feeding yourself good food at home.
Second, be open to new ideas. We’re going to share our experiences with each other here, and we have a lot to learn from each other - myself included. One of the things I love most about cooking is its essential, communal aspect. Let’s help each other grow as cooks.
Finally, have fun with it. Push yourself, but don’t get bogged down in the details. There is no shame in simple food as long as it’s good food. Make what you love to eat. If you aren’t an experienced home cook, or you’ve found yourself in a cooking rut that has left you bored and uninspired, get ready to surprise and delight yourself. There is an indescribable satisfaction in the ability to think of something you really want to eat, turn to your kitchen, and make it. Explore, stretch, enjoy.
Are you ready? Let’s cook something.
Challenge 1 - The Beginning
For this month’s challenge, think about what you ate for dinner during the past few weeks. Where did it come from? How much did you spend? Was it good? Could it have been better? Your first assignment is to increase the number of meals you prepare at home each week by one. See? I told you we were starting small. There are, presumably, 21 meals in a week. As noted above, the challenges will be cumulative; at the end of the year of the Salty Spoon Challenge, you will be cooking at least half of your meals each week at home. Begin by thinking about what you’ve been doing recently and add one more home-prepared meal to the mix.
What counts as cooking? It’s up to you, but be honest with yourself. Throwing one of those frozen bags of vegetables, meat, and seasoning blobs in a skillet doesn’t cut it. Get yourself to the grocery store and buy some real ingredients. Ideally, I want you to cut it yourself, season it yourself, and cook it yourself. A simple, balanced lunch or dinner consists of a protein, a starch, and a vegetable. Beginners, start there. Stumped for ideas? Let us know in the comments and let’s see what shakes out.
Dig in.
I just like the valuable information you provide in your articles.
I’ll bookmark your weblog and test once more here regularly.
I’m somewhat sure I’ll learn lots of new stuff proper
right here! Best of luck for the next!
Thanks to my father who stated to me concerning this web site, this blog
is truly remarkable.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your efforts and I am
waiting for your further write ups thank you once again.
Somebody essentially lend a hand to make critically articles I might state.
That is the first time I frequented your website page and
up to now? I amazed with the analysis you made to create this particular put up incredible.
Excellent job!
Howdy would you mind stating which blog platform you’re using?
I’m planning to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a difficult time choosing between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.
The reason I ask is because your layout seems different then most blogs and I’m looking
for something completely unique.
P.S Sorry for being off-topic but I had to ask!
Magnificent beat ! I would like to apprentice
while you amend your website, how can i subscribe for a blog web site?
The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted
of this your broadcast provided bright clear idea
Hi! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site?
I’m getting sick and tired of Wordpress because I’ve
had problems with hackers and I’m looking at options for another platform.
I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of
a good platform.
Very rapidly this site will be famous amid all blogging users, due to it’s good posts
Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I find It
really useful & it helped me out a lot. I’m hoping to provide something back and aid
others such as you helped me.
Hi Dear, are you really visiting this site daily, if so afterward
you will without doubt obtain fastidious experience.
I was suggested this web site by my cousin. I am not sure
whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my trouble.
You are amazing! Thanks!
An interesting discussion is definitely worth
comment. There’s no doubt that that you should write more about this issue,
it may not be a taboo matter but typically people don’t talk about these issues.
To the next! Kind regards!!
You really make it appear really easy along with your presentation however
I to find this topic to be actually something which
I believe I’d by no means understand. It sort of feels too complicated and extremely broad for me.
I am looking forward in your next submit, I will attempt to get the hang of it!
Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your
situation; we have created some nice practices and we are looking to trade methods with others,
please shoot me an email if interested.
Yes! Finally something about site.
Hiya very nice site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Wonderful ..
I will bookmark your site and take the feeds also? I am glad to search out
numerous useful info here within the submit, we’d like work out more techniques on this regard,
thank you for sharing. . . . . .
Excellent blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you propose starting with a free platform like Wordpress or go for a paid
option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed ..
Any recommendations? Thank you!
I read this article fully concerning the comparison of latest and previous technologies, it’s amazing article.
Hello I am so delighted I found your website,
I really found you by accident, while I was searching on Yahoo for something else, Anyhow I
am here now and would just like to say cheers for a marvelous post and
a all round enjoyable blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have
time to browse it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also added your RSS
feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read much
more, Please do keep up the fantastic jo.
Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to
assert that I acquire in fact enjoyed account
your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your augment and
even I achievement you access consistently fast.
It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy.
I’ve read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you some interesting things or tips.
Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this
article. I want to read even more things about it!
Magnificent website. A lot of useful information here. I am sending it to some pals ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks for your effort!
When someone writes an post he/she retains the thought of a user in his/her mind that how a user can know it.
Therefore that’s why this article is amazing. Thanks!
hello there and thank you for your information –
I have definitely picked up something new from right here.
I did however expertise a few technical points using this web
site, as I experienced to reload the site a lot of times previous to I could get it to load properly.
I had been wondering if your web host is OK? Not that I’m complaining,
but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect your
placement in google and could damage your high-quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords.
Well I am adding this RSS to my email and can look out for much more of your respective interesting content.
Ensure that you update this again very soon.
Hi there! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers?
I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any tips?
You’re so interesting! I do not believe I’ve truly read through anything like that before.
So great to find somebody with genuine thoughts on this
issue. Seriously.. many thanks for starting this up.
This site is one thing that is required on the internet, someone with a bit of originality!
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and
now each time a comment is added I get three e-mails
with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service?
Many thanks!
Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading it, you could be a
great author.I will remember to bookmark your blog and will
eventually come back later on. I want to encourage that you continue your great
work, have a nice evening!
Nice answers in return of this question with solid arguments and
telling all on the topic of that.
No matter if some one searches for his essential thing, so he/she wishes to be available
that in detail, so that thing is maintained over here.
I don’t know whether it’s just me or if everyone else experiencing problems with your website.
It appears as if some of the written text in your posts are running off
the screen. Can someone else please comment and let me know if this is happening to them too?
This might be a problem with my internet browser because I’ve had this happen previously.
Thank you
Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a
blogger, and I was wondering your situation; many of
us have developed some nice methods and we are looking to exchange solutions with
other folks, be sure to shoot me an email if interested.
Heya i’m for the first time here. I came across this board and I find It really useful
& it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and aid
others like you aided me.
Hi there, I enjoy reading through your article. I like
to write a little comment to support you.
I’ll immediately grasp your rss as I can’t to find your e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service.
Do you have any? Please let me recognise so that I may just subscribe.
Thanks.
This really answered my problem, thank you!
Hi there! This post couldn’t be written much better! Looking through this post reminds me of
my previous roommate! He always kept preaching about
this. I most certainly will send this post
to him. Fairly certain he’s going to have a very good
read. Many thanks for sharing!
hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve certainly picked up anything new from right here.
I did however expertise some technical points using this web
site, as I experienced to reload the site a lot of times previous to I could get
it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your web hosting
is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times
will very frequently affect your placement in google and could damage your high-quality score if
advertising and marketing with Adwords. Well I’m adding this RSS to my
e-mail and can look out for a lot more of your respective intriguing content.
Ensure that you update this again soon.
Hello there, I found your web site via Google at the
same time as searching for a similar matter, your website got here up, it seems to be great.
I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hello there, just become aware of your weblog thru Google, and
found that it’s really informative. I am gonna watch out for brussels.
I’ll be grateful should you continue this in future.
Lots of other people will likely be benefited from your writing.
Cheers!
I’m really impressed together with your writing skills as neatly
as with the layout to your weblog. Is that this a paid topic or did
you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the
excellent quality writing, it’s uncommon to look a nice blog like this one
today..
What’s up colleagues, how is all, and what you
would like to say about this piece of writing, in my view its
truly awesome for me.
What i don’t understood is actually how you are now not actually much more neatly-favored than you may be
right now. You are so intelligent. You already know thus
significantly with regards to this subject, made me individually
consider it from numerous numerous angles. Its like
men and women aren’t fascinated except it’s one thing to accomplish with Woman gaga!
Your personal stuffs nice. All the time care for it up!
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this write-up plus the rest
of the website is extremely good.