Eternal Food Honeymoon

How long will the food honeymoon last? I hope for the rest of my days.

I previously shared how the pandemic prompted a stark reversal of my attitude about food. I went from dreading cooking and paying a service to make all my meals, to now preparing up to three meals plus a snack/dessert every day. Most from scratch ingredients.

I’m 9 months into my new routine and attitude, and don’t plan to look back. It feels weird if my husband offers to get takeout so I can have a break from cooking. No break wanted or needed. But thanks, honey.

I used to say that I had programmed cooking out of my routine. I was “too busy” to cook and I considered the personal chef orders (a service that ballooned in popularity in recent years) a necessity. 

Now, instead of dreading the thought of making a meal, I can’t wait.

In the beginning, I was strict about following exact recipes. Everything measured. I learned about and purchased new ingredients, plus new gadgets and tools to help with prep. I went from coming into the kitchen only to heat up my pre-prepared meals, to now having a wishlist for what my dream kitchen could look like one day — because I love spending time there.

It’s nothing for me to whip up my own alfredo or marinara sauces. The thought of purchasing them in a jar is actually unsettling. Same for hot chocolate, pancakes, chocolate chips, salad dressings and whipped cream. I only consume these things if I whip them up myself.

A lot is changing as I age, and I’m glad there was still potential for food to become a fresh passion. I feel like a graduate moving on to my master’s degree. I now have food instincts. I can experiment with ingredient combinations and don’t always meticulously measure.

Like Chef Carrie Sullivan from the Gathering Table shares in her article about customizing tiramisu, “A great recipe is one where you learn a method and then use that method to create your own flavor combinations based on what you love.”

Much like life.

I ditched the food prep service for the food delivery one — my groceries show up at my door every Monday morning. I programmed cooking back into my schedule, trading the time it would take to visit the grocery store. I’m also building delicious memories and setting an example for my mini-me apprentice.

The only problem with all this is we need a bigger fridge. And more counter space, a deeper sink… but I digress.

Like many people love to talk about their kids and pets, I’m now that person who will talk about food any chance it comes up.

So, when EverythingBrevard CEO and Publisher Tracy Stroderd and I had one of our chats about magazine content, I mentioned how we should make a point to gather more stories around food. The Space Coast, after all, has a diverse and delicious food scene.

As Tracy often swirls her magic wand, we rallied to present the first Everything Eats food section. Be sure to open our first Recipe Box, packed with staff favorites. Future recipe boxes will feature our readers’ favorite meals, a different theme each issue.

We visit hidden gem eateries, highlight area chefs and celebrate the artisans and services that go beyond our restaurant experiences, that are equally necessary for our food experiences.

Let us know if you have story ideas we should include in future issues. We’re excited to add new flavors to the magazine!

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