Making It My Own

One of my favorite things about cooking is the ability to customize every recipe to make it my own. I try it, change it, retry it, document what I've learned, and then try it again. This process is one of the many things that I love about cooking.   

Whenever I come across a new recipe, whether it's in a book, magazine, online, or from a friend, I always follow the recipe to see how the original recipe tastes. Well, with one exception: I love cinnamon so I tend to add it to most cookies, muffins, and sweet breads--even when they don't call for it. But usually, even with those, I try out the original recipe first.    

Once I've tried the original recipe I make note of what I would like to do differently the next time. This could be cooking it at a certain temperature or time setting, adding or removing ingredients, or even just a note of what to serve with it. There's hardly a time when I have nothing to say about a recipe.      

The next time I cook the recipe I follow my "note to self" and add another note of how it turned out. I also include what I'd like to do the next time. I do this every time I cook or bake so that I'm always improving, and so that the foods come out more and more the way I would like them to. I always leave my previous notes on the recipe and just add the new comments so I can see what I've tried and what I would like to try. By doing this I've found many variations for the dishes and desserts I make. Sometimes I like a recipe just the way it is, or after adjusting one thing I find that it doesn't need anything else. Sometimes I change a recipe a handful of times. Sometimes I change it so much that I have to dial it back to the basics and start the process all over! To me this is part of what makes cooking and baking so much fun!

The last step in my process is that I type up the recipe and add it to my cookbook binder. I have a lot of cookbooks, but I like to keep all of my favorite recipes together in a binder. I also like having the digital copy in case if anyone asks for the recipe or if the printed copy gets ruined. When I type up a recipe I include the original recipe and cite where I got it from, and then I add all of my variations and comments about what I did to personalize it.    

Cooking is a great way to express myself. It is an art, a process, and an adventure. I am always excited to try new recipes, to make changes to them, to document what I've learned, and to try them again! I get excited when others enjoy what I've cooked and am honored when they ask me for the recipe. I will never get tired of taking a good recipe and making it my own.

Apple Bran Muffins with Flax