Interesting Goal

          One of the challenges that I am experiencing at the moment, is getting the alternatives to ingredients in the recipes.  Now, the reason I am attempting such a daunting task is that I feel some people would simply ignore or skip a recipe because there was either an ingredient used which was too expensive, or even an ingredient that the reader did not recognize.  I do not want my book to be like that at all!  So, my intention is to change the recipes so that there are cheaper alternatives and easy to find ingredients.  I know I have mentioned this before in previous posts, but I cannot tell you how much I have learned about food already through this process!

         The most important thing for me, is that the food is still amazing...as it should be!  :)

Planning the Videos

          Well, I have all the recipes I need for the book, so now it is time to start thinking about the recordings.  Since I am a teacher by profession, I figure that being in front of the cameras won't be that big a deal.  However, what I have decided to do, is keep the videos raw.  What I mean by that is, when I make a mistake, I want to keep it in the video, and I also want to cook each dish in "real time" so that the viewers can see that is actually DOES take 30 minutes to cook something from scratch...

      Now to find a good director..."Michael!"  :)

Recipe Collection

           So far I have managed to collect about 3/4 of the recipes that I will be using for the book.  What I need to do now is add a couple more to complete the collection.  I also want to categorize the recipes, like one would chapters in a novel.

           I have also decided to focus only on dinners and lunches for the book.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I love baking and puddings as much as anyone, but I feel that the book needs to focus on main meals to have some "substance" behind it.

          This also obviously opens the door for future books where I could focus on baked goods and puddings.  One always needs to keep the future in mind you know.  ;)

         So, taking some time today to focus on the recipe collection and add a couple of my own ideas.  Yay...:)

Photography and Ideas

         First, I would just like to thank everyone for their support!  It is so good to know that I have so many people behind me during this journey!  :)

         One of my friends from school, Leza, has been sweet enough to offer her photography skills to help me with the photographs of the food that we are going to use in the book.  Thank you Leza.  Luckily, Michael has brilliant photoshop skills, so we can make the food look really good as a team here.  And Leza and Michael get to eat all the stuff I make...what could be better than that?

          My plan is to go into the supermarket and spend some time going through every isle and making sure that I am going to use the best ingredients that I can find out there, for the lowest price.  Once I have a list like that in place, I can start compiling the recipes from there.  To be honest, I am taking the drag out of cooking, and doing it all for the reader, which leaves you with the ability to enjoy the cooking and not be bogged down by trying to compile a shopping list.  I also don't want the ingredients to be weird...Imagine trying to find broken bamboo shoots...The easier and more understandable, the better.

          Do any of you out there have any suggestions for your favorite meals that you would like to see in the book?  Perhaps, with a little tweaking, it could cost you less in the end...

Please let me know...feel free to comment.  :)

Chat later.

Food For The Pocket

       This blog is going to document a journey.  My intention is to document every step of the way in my quest to create, record and publish a cookbook from scratch.  I have never done anything like this before, and I am sure that I am going to learn so much along the way.  I hope you will join me on this adventure, and reap the cooking rewards with Michael (my partner in food) and I.  The book is going to take a different look at food, and aim to give you ideas for creating food that seems expensive, but actually costs very little.  I also intend to make it a book filled with recipes that are not only quick, easy and delicious, but also recipes that you are happy to share with friends and family.

           So far, I have found a publisher, and we are in the process of planning the content of the book.  Luckily, Michael is brilliant at art design, so he will help with the cover of the book.  I have to give the content some serious consideration, since I want the book to be a joy to behold, not a nightmare to wake from!  To me, the book needs to be something that people refer to, and learn from, but do not always need to follow religiously.  That is what I have always thought a great cookbook should be.

           I am also intending to record all the cooking sessions for the book, so not only can you read the book, but you can watch the videos.  Now, it sounds like I am trying to be like the really famous celebrity chefs out there, and in a way, I am, but my intention is to give this my best shot and see how far I can go.  I have no visions of fame and fortune from this adventure, but I would really like this book and the recordings to make a difference in just one working person's life.

So, again, you are welcome to join me on this road through the unknown...it is bound to be an experience unlike any other!  So let's get going...:)