The Menu at Chez Sofrito

Hah!  I forgot to include the avocado that I picked up...better use it before it goes bad...  what can I make that's delicious with that beautiful green Avocado that awaits me?

The truth is that I never really know what I'm going to write about before I sit down to chat with you.  I like it that way.  It keeps our conversations sincere.  Sometimes I have an idea of what I want to share with you, or a thought that I came across, but the way that I tell you my story only happens once I sit with you, and we have our moments.

Such is also the case with my dishes.  I will marinade meats on the weekends after grocery shopping, but I never really know what I'm going to pair them up or how.  Like with writing, I leave that to inspiration.  I've shared with you that one of the most satisfying aspects about cooking for me is to let one ingredient, like a musical instrument, inspire the composition of the entire symphony.   

I don't think that I've ever made the same dish the same way twice.  I tend to go with the ingredients that I have on hand.  Most importantly, how I create a dish is often determined by how I feel.  I read a book in college by Laura Esquivel- Like Water For Chocolate .  The book is about a young girl who's feelings manifest in the dishes that she cooks.  So much so that anyone who eats her cooking can suddenly feel her emotions too.

I haven't thought about that book since college, and it's funny that the memory comes to me now as I try to describe to you how I feel when I cook.  I shared with you before how I tend to cook soups if I am sad, and with fruits if I feel bright and playful.  

Now the practical side of cooking, and cooking for a family, also warrants that I am more prepared and better equipped than with just my feelings.  I don't really ever feel "Writer's Block", but I often feel that in my kitchen, or my closet.

Just like I have an enormous walk-in closet filled with clothes, shoes and handbags I can walk in there on any given morning and in frustration exclaim that "I have nothing to wear!".  It used to drive my ex-husband crazy.  Well, the same thing happens to me in my kitchen.  I have all the staples in there but sometimes lack inspiration and feel that "there is nothing to cook".  Now that's certainly not true, but it's just how I feel in that moment.  

What do I do?  I look for inspiration.  Often it's a simple ingredient.  I've shared with you how a lemon or an orange can inspire an entire menu for me- appetizer, meal, dessert and tea..  Sometimes, it's not that easy.  Sometimes if I had a hard day or have a lot on my mind I really draw a blank.  That's when I resort to "Inventory".

My friends love to tease me about OCD or how compulsively organized I can be.  The truth is that I'm a naturally chaotic and abstract person who only forced herself to learn to be organized and disciplined as a means for survival and strong parenting. 
 
I love writing on a quick spreadsheet all of the ingredients that I have on hand.  I've included a copy of this week's so that you see what I mean.  This allows me to glance over some of the things that I have to work with, and the great number of possibilities that I can come up with. It's also what keeps me in check when I think about eating out too often.  I can visibly see all the things that are good for us, and that I have at home that I should be working with.

For me, this works well if I don't overstock my cabinets and refrigerator.  I have more than enough on hand for many possibilities, but I don't keep so much that I am afraid to open the cabinets or fridge and look through them.  Another trick is to glance over your receipt after you put the groceries away.  Sometimes we forget what we bought.  If I see something I can work into a meal, I'll scribble it on my "Menu".  I call it a menu but in reality it's more like an inventory list. 

On that note I'll tell you that I love spreadsheets.  I'm a huge fan of Excel.  I don't just use them at the office.  I use them at home to help me keep my life at my fingertips.  I also like for my daughter to see them up because I think it subconsciously helps her be organized too.  I have my grocery list and monthly budget on  spreadsheets, with the bills I have to pay and on what date, how much was paid/saved...etc. 

I wish school systems had better curriculum for teaching Finances to children at an early age.  I believe that children should learn about money management, savings, interest, equity, stocks, financing...all of it.

Wouldn't you say that it's a long term plan for security and our debt crises if we teach our kids to manage money better than we have?  It all starts at home too.

I often pay my bills on line while she is doing homework next to me.  She is used to seeing this.  She asks questions about it and by ten years old understood quite a bit more than I ever had.  She understands to respect credit cards and not to use them unless you will immediately have the cash on hand to pay for your purchases.  She also understands to always try and pay bills before the due date, and above the principal. You'd be surprised how much kids retain if they're exposed to it.

As far as your menu and culinary prowess, Reader, give this a try this weekend when you go grocery shopping!  You don't even have to be all serious and do it on the computer.  Even if you scribble it down on a piece of paper, try jotting down the ingredients that you have to work with.  Then, you could even sit with your other half or your kids and come up with menu items for the week.  Try cooking 4 days even if you take one day off.  It's fun, and you're likely to get everyone involved. 

I'd love to know what you come up with!  I bet it will be great.  Muy buen provecho!