Cooking is fun for me, and a bit therapeutic.  It really does combine this science of artistic nature into one activity.  The artistic nature really seem a bit self-explainitory.  You are improvising somewhat and going with instinct (assuming you are adventurous) and you hopefully in the end have a dish which is quite literally, a feast for the senses.  Now the science of cooking spikes my curiosity as well because I enjoy really digging into not just WHY adding olive oil to one dish makes it taste better, but the science of WHY it makes it taste better.  Is it a consistency issue?  Does the emulsification help to enhance flavor?  Is it merely a flavor enhancer?  Sometimes these answers come merely by wondering, and then being observant, but sometimes I'll do a bit of quick research to really figure out why doing something a certain way, or certain order, or adding this or that ingredient produce the desired result (or sometimes, an undesired result.)

Tonight, I made a soup that I've made before.  I always try and take a twist or two on my previous attempts just to see what works well and doesn't.  Tonight was a Sweet Corn Crab Bisque.  I was able to do it with relatively low effort and I am pleased with how it came out.  It's quite rich, but I should be able to freeze a bit of this and enjoy it for a while.  Tonight, it's been nice to enjoy with a bit of glass-bottled Coca-Cola, and some relaxation.

In relation to the above topics, I have to add that I love Trader Joes.  It's one of those stores, that if you have money, you almost always end up buying at least one thing more than you intended to when you walked in the front door.  Today was no different, and I was being adventurous looking over the selections.  The cold and rainy day only hightend my desire to get out of the house and find something interesting.

Current Mood: artistic
Current Music: Fatboy Slim (Cornershop) - Brimful of Asher