Friday, July 18, 2008

"Notes for the Home Cook" Chef's Tip of the Week

Greetings, Blog Readers!
So sorry I didn't post my Wednesday Tip of the Week. Peak season in Maine, you know...alas, the life of an innkeeper!
This week as I prepared new recipes and stand-bys from my inn chef past, I realized how important it is to WRITE on your recipes. Why, you might ask? Well, recipes can be off sometimes in their yield amounts and (I'll say it again...) YOUR personalized touches need to be jotted down on the actual recipe. Did the recipe work better with tomatoes, rather than red bell pepper? Does it take a longer cooking time than it claims?? Etc.
If a recipe is a "dog", write "not good" on it--saves you the time of doing it again. If it is a "keeper," write "Yum" on it. I LOVE the old cookbooks one finds at flea markets---pages dirtied with smudges, where someone has taken the time to inscribed "good" on it. Does your family have one of those?? Was your Grandma's cookbook the beginning of some of your family's current food favorites??
Work with your cookbooks--they are blueprints, and history, and loads of fun.
Happy cooking to all during these warm summer days. Until next time...

Keith
Your Maine Innkeeper
Inn at Long Lake
Naples, Maine

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