The Julia Child In Me

Here I am revealing my inner Julia in 2001

When I was in my teens I would come home from school, plunk myself on the couch and watch Julia Child & Company. It was my midday ray of sunshine. I loved her casual cooking style, her smiles, her jokes, her running commentary but best of all I loved food and loved watching her cook food.

I remember making Coq Au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon in my parents kitchen. I must have been around 17 or 18 years old, adding a bit of this, a dash of that, chopping and stirring, and talking in my head as if I had my own cooking show. I was Julia -- the master chef of the kitchen though not so masterful because, well, I'd never been to cooking school and although Julia had, there was something about her that made you think that you could cook just like her regardless of whether or not you had ever cooked before. Julia made cooking fun! I'd drop a carrot on the floor or the flour would be all over the counter but that was OK because, well, if Julia could drop a whole chicken, duck or whatever the rumour had her dropping on the floor than my carrot was still good too.

I had another wonderful influence, my dad. He loved cooking and cooking loved him. He just had a natural talent for it. His spaghetti sauce made with tomatoes from his own garden was something I will never be able to duplicate though I have tried. To him it was all from memory, his own creation that he never had a recipe for. And his pizza -- friends still remember his pizza. I helped him every time he made it. I can vaguely remember the ingredients, I'm just not sure I'd be able to make it the same or even if I tried there would be something a little different about it. My dad taught me many things, to laugh, to enjoy life, to always write down your recipes even if your recipe is a pinch of this, a little of that -- one thing he never did.

Through the years I continued watching cooking shows. You name it, I'm sure I watched it -- Wok With Yan, The Urban Peasant, The Galloping Gourmet, The Two Fat Ladies, Emeril, Jamie Oliver, David Rocco, The Barefoot Contessa and so many other wonderful cooking shows that would influence me as I started to cook for myself, my family, my friends.

Back when Steve and I had our first place together, I had a pot of something on the stove that needed stirring. In his best Julia Child voice he came walking into the kitchen and said something chef-like as he started to stir what was in the pot -- I couldn't stop laughing. Until a few days ago when we reminisced about that time, he didn't realize how much I love Julia Child.

The other night I went to see Julie & Julia and absolutely loved the movie, LOVED IT! I had a happy tear through almost the entire movie because that was me, I was Julie. I was the one who used to loose herself in cooking, my escape from life's daily stresses. There was always a good recipe somewhere to take away the chaos of a hard day.

I do wish that I would have known about Julie Powell's blog (here and here) before it became a big screen movie, before writers, producers and directors tried to make a person be like her instead of reading about her thoughts from the true Julie Powell.

My love for cooking hasn't faded but it has been put on the back burner. These days it's all about what's quick, easy, cost efficient, what my kids will eat -- meaning chicken fingers and fries and definitely not any fancy kind of pomme frites.

Just like my love for cooking hasn't faded, my love for cookbooks is and will always be a part of me. I love reading cookbooks, drooling over the pictures, dreaming of creations I might one day whip up. There are so many wonderful recipes out there.

So, I ask...

What are your favourite cookbooks?

What is/are your favourite recipe(s)?

Bon Appetit!