Well admittedly I’m not Nigella Lawson (pictured at left and author of among others, How To Be A Domestic Goddess), but I do enjoy spending time in the kitchen cooking and baking for myself and my family. I also get what Nigella means when she says, "what I’m talking about is not being a domestic goddess exactly, but feeling like one." So that’s why I was thrilled to be a part of the urbanmoms.ca Kitchen Party, sponsored by one of my all-time favourite kitchenwares companies: Cuisinart.
And speaking of Cuisinart, have you ever wondered just what that fancy name means? Let’s take a page from the Bard and ask ourselves, "what’s in a name?" To figure this one out we have to hearken back to high school French and define cuisine. The literal translations are: kitchen and cooking. Well, that makes sense. I’m sure we’ve all used the English word ‘cuisine’ before, as in; "I don’t know a lot about Belgian cuisine". As for the second half of the name, art; well, if I have to translate that one, you need to go back to high school for more than just French!
So put the two words together, cuisine+art=cuisinart: the art of cooking. And to me that’s what it’s all about – like any form of art, each of us–as artists–will express ourselves differently even when using the same materials. I’m all about this kind of unique expression: it’s what gives us diversity and excitement. Bring it on, especially when it has to do with cooking!
One of my fave kitchen activities is sitting around the table gabbing with my gal pals about cooking (no really!). I’ve learned some of the best tips in my recipe arsenal this way, and had a good time doing it, too. Just like a real kitchen party then, let’s talk tips, tricks and recipes! To get us started, the good folks at Cuisinart have sent me some recipes to try out "for real" as my kids would say, in my family kitchen. I’m game to give them all a try, and I’ll report back to you here on how they went: how long did they take to prepare, how easy to make, how did they taste and, most importantly – what did my kids say about them? And because this is a party, I want to pass the recipes around the table and get your take on them, too! So, try out a recipe or two then stop back here and leave comments with your opinion, tips, tricks and anything else "kitchen" that you’d like to share.
Download Recipes:
Fresh Tomato and Corn Salsa
Spinach, Feta & Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms
Pesto, Cheese and Fresh Tomato Pizza & Basic Pizza Dough
Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies: Chocolate Heaven
You know I have to try the Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies first, but I’m going to also make the pizza and serve the cookies as a dessert. Stay tuned for updates on how these two recipes cook up, and what my family (and I) had to say about the finished product. Now you go out there and rev up those food processor engines and let me know your opinion, too.
So come on into the kitchen, pull up a chair at the table, pour a coffee, grab a double chocolate chunk cookie (yum) and, well, DISH!
Your Kitchen Party host is urbanmoms.ca member Elizabeth: a working mom of two and a domestic goddess in her own right! Join the Kitchen Party and share your thoughts on recipes, cooking tips and tools and anything else Kitchen below in comments or email your ideas, recipes, and feedback to kitchenparty@urbanmoms.ca.