P52 Week 17 - Food Photography

What can I say about food that hasn’t been said a hundred – a thousand – a million times before? How about some original recipes? – nope! What about overeating, under-eating, purging, hurling, starving? I could whinge about my own, deep-seated psychological issues with food – poor body image, oral gratification, low self-esteem, need for comfort food – all that crap. I’ve done all that – I still do some of that, but I won’t bore you.

I don’t cook much these days – it’s just me, and so I much prefer to go out with friends. I like Italian, French, Mexican – I love Mexican – and an accompanying glass of malbec or syrah is a must. I sometimes go for Thai. Seafood I’ll down anytime – the same with brunch. When I’m on my sane eating program, I eat half of my restaurant serving and bring the other half home – that makes eating out more economic and I get to enjoy feasting on a delicious meal twice.

I do make soups from scratch every once in a while. I roast a whole chicken, keeping it moist by stuffing a whole lemon in the cavity. I then make stock out of the carcass, adding onions, carrots, celery, parsley, peppercorns, salt and bay leaves. I munch on the boiled veggies as I strain the broth – hmm, good. After defatting, I add a new pile of fresh vegetables: onions – of course – carrots, celery, cauliflower, parsnips, chopped fresh tomatoes, and fresh green peas. I spice it with Hungarian paprika. And, if the mood strikes me, I add some pasta. I freeze the soup in single servings.

I warm the soup for my granddaughter when she’s with me. “More cauliflower,” she demands sweetly, but she avoids the chopped chicken. “Gaga eat the chicken,” she orders, shoving the spoon at me. After she downs the whole bowl of veggies, she begs, “Ice cream, please.” How can Gaga refuse?