Confessions of a Wannabe Foodie

Does anyone remember when the writer’s strike was? I cannot pinpoint the date, but I can pinpoint the event as the one that made me want to be a foodie.

You see, there was nothing on TV. I was bored out of my mind, surfing the channels looking for anything – I mean anything – to watch. Sure, I probably could have read some more, or perhaps left the house and actually done something. (Even though I can’t remember the exact date, I vividly recall that it was during a cold New England winter.) But I am a TV junkie, and I was jonesin’ for something to watch.

In my quest to find something to watch, I stumbled upon America’s Test Kitchen on PBS. A cooking show. I’ve always liked cooking, but I’ll be honest, I’ve never been very good at it. My half-Italian side appreciates fine food, but my half-Irish side just wants to eat it. Preparation of good food has never been a priority.

But after getting hooked on America’s Test Kitchen, I sought out the Food Network to see what they had to offer. Introducing (to me, anyway) Alton Brown’s Good Eats, and Iron Chef America. Alton provided me with a veritable culinary education, one ingredient at a time. He was my new obsession, and I had a little bit of a crush. I’m not going to lie. (I probably should, but what’s the point?) And massively addicted is not an adequate enough description for my love of Top Chef.

Once my passion for cooking television kicked in, my thirst for cookbooks took over. I couldn’t get enough – I would bring them home from the bookstore, curl up on the coach with a nice glass of wine and read them like a novel, flagging the pages with recipes I wanted to try.

If only I could cook…

With my TiVo full of cooking shows, and my bookshelf full of cookbooks, I moved on to the equipment. Calphalon pots and pans replaced the no name ones I had been happily using for years. I replaced my crappy old, dull knives with Calphalon Katana series knives. I bought whisks, mandolins, bamboo cutting boards, pans both spring form and tart. My KitchenAid mixer and food processor were my new best friends. My tiny little, galley kitchen was complete.

But my food is still not very good.

I have my moments, but usually with the very basic things. I can roast a chicken with the best of them, and my homemade chicken soup has become a Christmas tradition. Moving up the food chain (bad pun intended), I’m getting pretty good at homemade pizza – from homemade dough and sauce, to hand grated fresh mozzarella (thank you, Alton and America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook). My manicotti has received rave reviews, from numerous family members, on the Italian side nonetheless.

But I’m still not a foodie. I really, really wannabe… but I’ve got a ways to go.

So my quest continues. I will watch more cooking shows, buy more cookbooks, eat at more fancy restaurants, try more new recipes. I will not quit until I am a bona fide foodie.

Please… do stay tuned!