Mission statement

The business side of mind knows that every viable idea or business needs a shared mission statement.   I think May and I are on the same page with coming up with recipes that are nutritious and low allergy.   We like the idea that everyone in the family can come together and eat the same meal despite their food preferences, dietary restrictions, etc.

There is so much undue anxiety and pressure around cooking meals for your family these days, especially if you are working full or even part time and then add the pressure of food allergy or intolerance or a new diet.

   Many of us wait until the last minute to decide what's for dinner and then it seems to be what is easiest or available.   I'm often uninspired to cook and just make a simple meat and vegetable dinner which is fine but leaves me feeling uninspired in the kitchen.

Many cultures believe that there is more to just nutrients in food.   Food can taste better when prepared with love - there are studies.  Food can taste better depending on where and when it is shared.   We don't need to go out to dinner to bring the family together in a shared event.   We could easily create this shared event at home.   I want to research a way to bring this to every family and make dinner shared, enjoyable and absolutely nutritious.

A few years ago I decided to get out of my cooking rut with a venture into cooking a meal from a different country.   This was a fun process as it opened up my repertoire of cooking ideas - but the involvement was huge.  I was constantly researching and hitting up several stores for special ingredients.

Why can't there be a way to simplify it all -  a repertoire of recipes that use a basic pantry of ingredients.   Recipes that are varied in taste and easily adaptable to every family members dietary needs.    I'm looking for dinners that are fun - dinners that bring everyone together in a way that is lost in our society.    Dinners that make us interact and enjoy each other.   Gone are the dinners where we have to pass food around the table.   For the most part,  we cook one pot or one dish meals and serve it up on a plate.    Its all about speed and not about enjoyment or interaction.

When I'm out at restaurants,   I've noticed that the tables where people are sharing food - they are sharing a connection.    Fajitas, Pho,  Fondue -  recipes such as this seem to bring people together.   There is always a sense of fun and smiles when meals like this are placed on the table.

My mission is to uncover this... I'm going to try a new experiment at my house.    I'm going to seek out recipes where we share the meal prep at the table.    I want to see if this idea can bring everyone together, make the cooking process less stressful for the chef,  and result in more clean plates.

Examples of recipes to explore:

Tacos, Fajitas

Fondues

Pho and other soups

Crab pot - corn, potatoes, crab, shrimp poured out onto the table.

Roll your own Sushi

Stirfry - cook meat, vegetables and sauce  separately and bring to the dinner table.

Lettuce boats