Peapod

I know I talk a lot about the book Manly Meals and Mom's Home Cooking but the thing is that this book really got me to look afresh at domestic actions I had taken for granted. Now I'm not a complete fool, I've always understood that a recipe on the back of say a can of Campbell's cream of chicken soup was only there to get me hooked on cream of chicken soup. In fact, I used to eschew any recipe that called for specific brand at all. Manly Meals discusses this idea of brand name sponsored recipes quite a bit. But somehow, instead of making those sorts of recipes even less appealing, I've found myself gravitating toward this sort of recipe. It makes me feel part of something larger. As if many homemakers before me have opened a cookbooklet from, let's say, Worcestershire Sauce and made one of the dishes.

Lately as part of my resolve to put off buying a car for another year or two, I've started having my groceries delivered by Peapod. It seemed really exspensive at first, but I've been keeping track. It actually costs me less. I think this is because I order every two weeks on the nose. I make a menu plan for that two weeks and I never impulse buy. It's working, at least for now.

A while back with one of my orders, they delivered a little brochure of recipes featuring Peapod's store brand, Our Family. I made a commitment to try at least one of them. This tuna dish has become a staple for lunches. I don't make it with avocado--mostly because I don't usually have any on hand, but also because this dish is comprised mostly of canned ingredients and that seems a waste of good avocado. It's an excellent pantry meal if you omit the fresh basil. You can make this the night before and chill it up. I add a little extra vinegar and package the tuna in a leak proof container and the salad in separate containers. That way I can just dump the tuna salad on the greens and it makes a lovely lunch that feels fresher than it is.

Change of Plans

It must be pretty obvious by now that I shot my wad on the Culinary Arts Institute dinner party. When I started this blog, my intentions where quite narrow: Make some food and blog about it. But the project itself was larger--I was researching for a book. Of course I'll still post the awesome treats from the cookbooklets, but I will also share some of the other interesting things that I've run across in my studies.

I just finished reading Many Meals and Mom's Home Cooking: Cookbooks and Gender in Modern America (2003) by Jessamyn Neuhaus. This book addresses gender roles and how they are reflected/reinforced by cookbooks, but really it is an examination of the role of media in the formation of gender identity, specifically national gender identity. Manly Meals is one of the best books I've read this year. Every single chapter was interesting. I was particularly fascinated by the chapter that dealt with the early part of the century and the introduction of recipes by food processors, companies we would know today--General Mills, Knox, Swans Down. What I found interesting is that I have products by these companies on pantry shelves right now. I would reccomend this book to anyone with an interest in food and culture.

Currenltly, I'm working on a series of essays about food and nostalgia. Wish me luck!!!