I spent most years of my life fascinated by fruits and vegetables and cooking, quit a career as a lobbyist to go to cooking school(s) then belatedly married Jim and settled down to a normally quiet life….
What I want to make is simple food, peasant food. When we’re flush I’ll get the best of what’s available and fresh at local markets. When we’re not, I can stretch a piece of meat with rice and beans or whatever. At one point I was able to feed two of us on less than $10/day but I had a great farmer’s market and Trader Joe’s at that time. What I don’t have now is two 4×8 raised beds to grow tomatoes and zucchini, scallions, lettuce and many herbs.
Greek food, Italian food, Tuscany with its beans and no salt in the bread because they refused to pay the salt tax hundreds of years ago. No grudges there.
Simple, honest foods with few, but the best ingredients make a terrific meal.
Chefs I learned with think I’m pazzo (crazy) because I don’t want to make everything French or have a twenty-word menu description for every dish a la Sonoma County. Perhaps I am.
I can teach a class on The Essential Pantry, A Cook’s Tools, and feel good about the way we live. Now that soup and stew season is coming up, it sounds (tastes and even smells) better than ever. Let’s get cooking. Dee
Cooking with Dee 
I love the one pot meals and by the end of the summer am so wanting a nice cool day.
Two weeks ago we did have a cold front move through and it was in the 40’s at night and 70’s during the day. The evening cool air just made me think about making something fallish.
I made a pot of homemade three bean soup…fresh veggies, barley and lentils. A very filling meal and since Mike must have some meat I also added turkey meatballs….just a few. That and nice crusty bread, I was in heaven!
Dee, that soup sounds wonderful. I know Jim can’t call a meal a meal without meat, but it doesn’t have to be the main ingredient! Thanks, Dee