Food Nation Inspiration

Do you ever feel like you’re in a rut when it comes to cooking?  Ever hear “Spaghetti again?” from your family members?  Then it’s time for some inspiration.  It’s pretty easy to find inspiration almost anywhere you look.  I find that television is a great place.  There are so many food shows on TV now that it would be hard to not find a show you like. 

For the reality people there are shows like “Hells Kitchen” (is Gordon Ramsay great or what?), “Master Chef” and “Iron Chef America” (although too much Bobby Flay and not enough Cat Cora IMHO).

For the more adventurous, don’t miss “No Reservations”, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, and “Man v. Food”.

Looking for instructional TV shows?  Try “Chef at Home” (this guy has a pantry to die for), “Nigella Kitchen” (no health food here...just a BW that gets into her food), “Ten Dollar Dinners” (frugal and fun...can you do it too?), or “Chinese Food Made Easy” (easy Chinese and what a cutie!).

Note: I’m giving you some obvious shows and some not-so-obvious ones.  Many of these can be streamed from YouTube or Hulu.

If you’re more of a reader, you can’t beat Gourmet or Bon Appetit or (for those of you in Kenya) Tupike. The pictures are great inspiration.  Don’t let them intimidate you.  Often the recipes are easier than you think.

If you want to get up close and personal with your food, visit Whole Foods Market (my all time favorite) or Ranch 99 (one of my new favorites).  Even Trader Joe’s can be a great place to wander around.  It’s OK to shop impulsively as long as you don’t (a) buy for more than one day and (b) go to the market hungry.

Well I could write a blog on every one of these links above but I promised to be succinct.  I hope some of these suggestions inspire you.  Don’t forget to cook a little bit outside your comfort zone.  What’s the worst that can happen?  In my family we have just two ratings; “keeper” and “not a keeper”.  There are too many recipes to keep a marginally reviewed dish.  Take a vote and don’t get your feelings hurt.  Enjoy!