Neighbors & Cooking

For all those who felt I probably came from the 'wrong side of the tracks' - here's your proof - washing machine on the back porch - that should say it all.  All I need is an old couch on the front porch and I'm in the club.  Actually I'm getting a new floor in my laundry room but seeing the machine on my back porch just made me wonder what my neighbors would think.  Lucky for me I've got some of the best neighbors in town - one of the reasons we could never bring ourselves to look for a larger house and just kept adding on.  Since we were the 'younguns' when we moved in here all our older families keep moving to condos and such but so far the 'replacements' have been very nice but the close knit feeling just isn't the same.  Our first neighbors when we moved here (with one exception) was as good as growing up in south St. Louis.  Good neighbors are quite a blessing.

What does that have to do with cooking?  Nothing at all.  I went to my friends blog to check out her version of last night's episode of 'Food Star Network Challenge' - (her version always gives me a chuckle) but instead I found her "I Came From" blog.  It was fun reading and I may attempt to do my own but it probably won't be as organized and poetic as hers. 

 Anyway - back to cooking.  As I watched the show last night I kept thinking "there's no way in the world I could do what they are asked to do"  If you gave me 6 items and told me to make a dish from them I'd have to go to a recipe search engine.  If you gave me a dish to taste and had to describe it - I could never pick out all the different spices - I don't even know what saffron looks like much less how it tastes and smells!  And if you tell me I only have 45 minutes to cook & plate a meal - well, let's just say I don't work well under pressure.  

I understand that these people are claiming to be chefs and they've asked for this challenge.   Although, I think several have found out they bit off more than they could handle.  I agree they should have more than my basic knowledge  - they should know all about food and how one compliments another.  They should be able to whip up dishes more easily than I and without a cookbook handy.  They should even be able to make the plate look appetizing.  So - my question is - for the rest of us, what makes a good cook.  I've always admired friends and family who know what a dish needs or has too much of - or can tell you how to cook something without looking it up first.  I don't consider myself a good cook even though people have been very kind and complimented what I've prepared.  But I have to plan ahead, make a list, use a recipe and all my measuring instruments (none of that 'eyeballing' it for me).  And there have still been a few times when we just choked down our meal or sent out for pizza.  The closest I've ever come to creating a dish is when I combine several recipes using the ingredients that my family likes.  So, just for fun, I have a little poll set up to see what you consider a good cook.  

Well, I'm gonna go whip me up some gourmet lunch - yeah, right - ha :)