Thursday, May 31, 2007

My Legacy

Hmm, I somewhat remember stating in may last entry that I was going to do an Uber post on cooking. I don't know if this will qualify, but I promise this will be my longest post to date (ie, it'll take you longer than 2 minutes to read).

I was killing some time at work today (who, me?) and I stumbled across an outline for a cookbook idea I had from 2003. Yawn, another cookbook you say? I agree, the world needs another cookbook like I need an IRS audit (shhhh!) Well, I'm going to do it anyway. What will be different about it you ask?

1.It'll be an electronic version which has a significant advantage over the traditional bound version: you can print off the recipe you want and don't have to worry about getting your beautiful coffee table book splattered with bechemel sauce. Plus, have you ever tried propping open your beautiful book with a couple of cans of tomatoes? It aint pretty or practical.

2. It'll be a conglomeration of recipes I've used over the years and tweaked for my own use (ie, I stole them like every other cookbook author on the planet).

3. It'll be full of practical ideas and tips from a non-professional chef; in other words it'll be for the home cook who wants to cook a good, wholesome meal for their friends or family, or even just themselves.

4. Every recipe will have detailed nutritional information. I am in NO WAY an advocate of any type of diet other than common sense, but part of that is knowing that if you'll be eating a serving of Beef Stroganov that has 900 calories that maybe you should skip that Big Mac and fries for lunch in order to enjoy your dinner guilt free.

5. It will contain real pictures taken by me in my own kitchen, not some food stylist.

6. It will contain my witty sense of humor and will rip on food fads, all you can eat buffets and general dumb-assery that we're all subjected to.

7. It will be much different than most cookbooks because it won't focus on a single cuisine or cooking style. I'll have French, Italian, Chinese, American, Mexican, BBQ, pastries, bread, desserts, special occasions and so forth.

7. It will be FREE to download (unless of course I can get someone foolish enough, err, I mean has the foresight to see what a great idea this is and actually pay me for it).

I have no time table of when it will be done, but considering the outline was done four years ago and I've done nothing since, I can't think that it'll be available for Christmas this year :) Honestly what I plan on doing is each time I make something for dinner that I think would be a good addition to the book I'll type the recipe, take the photos and gather the nutitional information.

I called the title of this post my legacy because this is something that I can be proud of and, more importantly, I would love for my kids and grandkids say, "Wow, my dad made this and it's cool as hell." Sure, I don't expect nor really care to make any money off this but it's really not the point. To be able to be remembered for doing something really cool is enough for me, and if you're a single guy and I help you get laid by giving you the means to cook up a special dinner for your girl than all the bestter :)

In order to make this a blog-worthy project I'll post the recipes and photos as I go. Remember though, I'm married with two kids and both my wife and I work which means we do our fair share of eating take out pizza, having pancakes for dinner and so forth. I guess I'm saying I can be lazy and don't always have the energy or time to cook so don't go expecting new recipes nightly. Plus I have my staples that I make over and over so the number of new recipes to expect would be 2-8 per week, with the occasionaly flurry of activity one week and next to nothing the next.

What to expect next? I first have to get my damn digital camera back from the in-laws; I expect to pick it up this weekend. I then need to rework my outline. I have some unique ideas that I haven't seen in other cookbooks so I'm anxious to get them on paper.

Oh, one last thing. You may have noticed that my above post is a rambling affair with scattered thoughts and was unedited. Well, you're right. It's a blog damnit! Why do I say this? In order to assure you that I intend the book read like a book and not a blog. If any of you are editors or know any that like to work for free let me know.

Hmm, not even close to an Uber but that's why Iggy is the Blogfather and I'm me :)

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