The Two Fisted Food Writer

There’s no doubt about it, I love cooking and eating. But I also love to read and write about food.

I keep my laptop in the dining room where I can be close to the kitchen. As I test or develop recipes, I usually go straight to the computer and make my notes. I also keep several composition books (the kind you can buy 2 for $1.00) on the table and a stack of sharpened #2 lead pencils close by just incase the computer goes down. There will be times when I’m cooking in the kitchen with a pencil in my mouth, or leaning over my laptop trying to input some notes one-handed because I’ve got a wooden spoon or potholder in the other.

For me, the two go hand-in-hand. Working on the Mexican American border food website I once had for seven years and the ensuing cookbook that developed from the website, I had to learn how to multitask. Developing, cooking, testing (and tasting), designing, inputting, photographing, uploading, downloading, looking up html codes, promoting, and praying. I guess it would have helped if I’d had the appendages of an octopus. Eight hands are better than two.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining; I loved it. Help from my family was always available but I tend to be OCD about my work and my passion. Looking back, perhaps I should have been more appreciative for the help instead of insisting that the tasks at hand be followed in a certain progessional line. Since those busy days in my life, I think I’ve learned to chill out a little and be more adventurous and think outside the box.

Having a successful food website and publishing a cookbook was an incredible feat. One that I believe would never have been accomplished if it hadn’t been for the invaluable assistance, through manual labor and moral support, from my husband and children (my daughter-in-law included).

So, if you’re thinking of starting your own website or wanting to publish a cookbook, go slowly. Begin with a homemade cookbook for your kids or maybe start a blog about cooking. And for Pete’s sake, never, never turn down any help you can get. Take it from someone who has Fibromyalgia and arthritis. The more hands you’ve got helping with the slicing and dicing, designing and inputting, the happier you’ll be. You can always go back and change what needs correcting. Because YOU are the head chef, and even Emeril has a staff.

Now, it’s time for a break. Let’s make a cup of Mexican Java and sit back and relax before you get up and start cooking again.

Mexican Coffee
(Makes 4 to 6 servings, depending on the size of cup)

½ cup ground coffee
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick broken in half
1 small (about 3-ounce) piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar but with a lot more molasses in it) cone, or
4 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

Place the coffee in a filter container of a drip-style pot. Scatter the cinnamon and brown sugar over the coffee. Brew with 4 cups of water.

If it’s evening or you just want a little zip in your coffee, add a half-ounce of Kahlua to each cup and maybe top off with a little whipped cream and some grated chocolate on top. ENJOY.