A mental adjustment to cooking & eating

My friends, before I get to this week's column/blog post, I just thought that I'd clarify a few things based on some comments from last week's column/blog post - In Defence of All-Purpose Flour. I hope that I do not offend anyone.

• I was in no way advocating for the exclusive use of all-purpose flour, rather, I was making the point that despite the multitude of flour options we have available to us that there still is a place for all-purpose flour in our kitchens. And, to that I hold true.
• I specifically stated in my column, the context for my argument: "...and for this column, I am referring to cake flour, bread flour and pastry flour." I was not referring to the use of whole wheat flour etc.
• The fact is that for the majority of the world, all-purpose flour and other "ordinary" ingredients are the only options - as a result of availability and resources.

There, I've said my piece :)

And now on to the business of this week.

When I started the Tastes Like Home columm, I would cook regular "home" food and then cook "column" food. Two major things happened - I saw my food budget skyrocket and the joy I got from cooking began to wane. I had to make adjustments. I had to figure out a way to balance the time I spent in the kitchen and the time I had for the other aspects of my life, like my job and other interests. Long story short, I had to make some changes. I had to make a mental adjustment to cooking and eating. Click here to read this week's column about the adjustment and the explanation for the dishes shown below. The roast chicken recipe is included in the column.

Roast Chicken with Roast Potatoes & steamed Snow Peas

Roast Chicken with Stir Fry Pak Choy & Rice

Roast Chicken with Vegetable Fried Rice

Have a great weekend everyone!