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Part of the reason I love to cook I will readily admit is because I am not required or expected to cook. Ina Garten expressed a similar sentiment in her recently released memoir that it is the love of cooking as opposed to the ‘have-to’ that is the difference in many ways. And so my sharing of all of the recipes I have over the years is from someone who I know, some would say, has the luxury to cook whatever they want. But I would argue, we give ourselves, regardless of our relationship status or our role of tasks or responsibilities at home if we share our homes with others, an amazing gift when we learn how to cook well, because when we know how to do so, we realize it is actually quite simple. We just need to be taught or choose to learn what those skills are.
It is the not knowing that caused me stress in my early days of learning how to cook. But once I discovered the core components – seasonal ingredients are best, basic flavorings, quality tools and sharp knives, just to name a few – the cooking became my playground, my atelier, my art studio to use enjoyable destinations we wish to be.
And while it has taken years to reach the comfort I now have in the kitchen when I step in front of the stove, I also have stopped worrying about the perfect presentation. Instead, my goal is, How does it taste? If it tastes as it I know it can, then the goal has been reached.
This year I didn’t post as many recipes as I was busy creating the Contentment Masterclass for the first six months of the year, but that didn’t stop me from sharing some favorite recipes, many classic French recipes, in this seventh season of the cooking show (view all of the episodes of season 7 here). Playing in the kitchen, trying something new, picking up a seasonal vegetable or fruit at the market and coming home to try it in a new or different way is what has become more common in my everydays, especially during the warmer months when Bend has their farmers’ markets, but also during the holiday season as I just recently tried two new recipes for holiday gatherings – you can see my attempt at Mini Mince Pies and a pastry Snowflake pull-apart bread here (follow @tsllcookingshow for year-round peeks into what I am up to in the kitchen that don’t always make it onto the blog).
With all of that said, I am quite excited about 2025 as I have *fingers-crossed* plans to improve my cooking skills a bit more while I am in Paris. All of this leading us up to the first online video course for cooking from TSLL – Intro to French Cooking – that will premiere this coming summer during August. Stay tuned!
Now to the top recipes shared this year! Remember, you can now download (for free!) the cookbook for Season 7 (here you go!) of the cooking show, and on January 1st all of the episodes from the latest season will be available on Youtube as well as here on the blog where they are exclusively released during the season.
Now, are you ready for your appetite to become whetted? Here we go! The TOP 5 recipes shared on the blog this year.
Tian de Légumes Provençal, episode #5 (season 7)
5
Marmalade Scone Thumbprints, episode #2 (season 7)
4
Ratatouille, episode #1 (season 7)
3
Saumon en Croute (Salmon in Pastry), episode #3 (season 7)
2
Pavé au Chocolat aux Amandes, episode #6 (season 7)
1
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~Explore all of TSLL’s Recipes in the Archives.
View the TOP 5 Recipes from 2023
