This post is one I wrote for Leading Associates in April 2009. I’m proud of the posts I wrote for LA, and I wanted to include them here at Trina Left Iowa.
Cooking and grocery shopping for one is a challenge. I find myself making the same boring chicken and throwing out veggies that have sat for too long (nothing smells worse). Last December my life radically changed after a Christmas miracle of sorts. I received the gift that never quits giving: a stockpot with steamer and strainer inserts (yes, I’m a foodie). The dynamics of my single girl’s kitchen have completely changed.
Perhaps all those bitterly cold winters in Iowa got to me, because nothing pleases me more than a simmering pot of soup. Soup geniuses like Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi and Rachael Ray have inspired me to slave for my soup. The beauty of soup is that you can throw things into a pot, and it usually turns out pretty tasty. I tend to use a lot of the same ingredients but change it a little each time. Usually, I cook up a little olive oil, ground turkey (ground chicken is great but harder to find), onion and garlic. Then I add in some beer (don’t use the whole bottle so you can drink it) and chicken stock (both are very important to have in your fridge). I follow that with several kinds of beans, tomatoes, cumin, oregano and chili powder (add a palm full of each and test – watch the chili powder…too much is not good). Stir it all up and simmer. Feel free to get creative with it; there is an endless variety of soups (Google away). I’m also a big fan of white chicken chili and chicken noodle.
The best part is that you have food for a week. After a very stressful day, you will be thrilled that dinner only needs to be heated up. You could invite a few friends, a cute boy or an intelligent, witty blonde over to help you eat it and wow them with your cooking skills. If you get completely sick of it, you can freeze it until you want soup again.
I could write even more about soup, but I will spare you. I will also skip my plans for the steamer insert once farmer’s market season begins… The point is that a stockpot will make a wonderful addition to your kitchen, and you will have many delicious pots of soup. I highly recommend making the investment.