I've been cooking more these days. Since mid-2008, I had fallen into a major fast-food, white-flour, completely blah diet rut, and my health hasn't been that great. So I decided that I'm going to learn to cook WELL, using great ingredients, being inspired by all the terrific food bloggers out there.
I really wanted to cook a fabulous soup. I love soup. So I did a quick search on one of my all-time favorite blogs, Gluten-Free Girl, to see if she had any soup recipes. And I found this post about cream of asparagus soup cooked up by her husband the chef. You simply MUST click on the link simply because the picture is so fabulous. It will make your mouth water. I mean, what soup have you ever eaten that's been THAT COLOR? Go ahead, go look. 
The Gluten-Free Girl didn't offer a recipe for that particular dish – she usually does, by the way, and every single one of the recipes I've tried from her site and her book have been INCREDIBLE – so I found one in a book and fired up the stove. And I created a big batch of the most gorgeous, luscious green soup you ever did see. I peeled and chopped and seasoned and simmered. And it was only when I was peering into the pot of finished soup, checking out the fabulous color I had created, that I paused and thought, "You know….I don't even know if I like cream of asparagus soup." I had never tasted it before. It just sounded and looked so good on Shauna's website that I had to try. But I had no idea if I'd even like it. "Well," I thought, "There's only one way to find out." And I grabbed a spooned, dipped it in green, and slurped down a big spoonful.
And my goodness, do I ever like cream of asparagus soup. There was an explosion of asparagus flavor right at the front, followed by layer after layer of cream, spices (nutmeg), a touch of garlic, and more asparagus. The flavor actually shifted in my mouth the longer I lingered. Good god, was that delicious.
So try something new today, whether in your online life or your "real" one. And don't be afraid to buy all the ingredients and do all the chopping and simmering and blending and stirring before you know what the end result will be.
Because you never know what you're gonna LOVE.
OMG – I can’t read this first thing in the morning! I always wake up hungry and the first thing (after following the link) is about sausage! I am a food lover and if not very careful, especially around sausage, I begin to resemble one!
Foodie blogs – who’da thought?
I remember reading somewhere that new experiences actually affect your brain chemistry in a positive way, whether the it’s something big like a trip to China or something like asparagus soup
There’s an old interview with Neil Young in Rolling Stone where he says “You’ve got to keep changing. Shirts, old ladies, whatever.” You could probably omit the “old ladies” part, but I think he’s right!
Good for you Beth … I love cooking but I rarely feel inspired to be adventurous when it’s just me. While my children are getting more adventurous – my 13-year-old actually started to eat pasta about six months – they still won’t eat most of the meals that have my mouth watering. However, it is the weekend and experimenting with a new soup recipe sounds like a fun way to relax.
What I love about cooking (when I’m motivated to do it) is that it’s a great way to try a small new thing. Everyone has cooked, but there are an infinite number of different recipes to try! You can be adventurous just by opening up to a new page on a Tuesday night.