I have always tended to be somewhat of a creature of habit. That is, once I find a way that something works I will most likely continue to do it that way until somewhere along the way a better method comes to light.
For me, cooking is somewhat of a creative outlet. I remember as a kid, we'd be camping and I'd have the task of making breakfast for my Dad, my sister and I - at least that's how it always started. Before too long a friend or two from down the road had popped by for coffee and I always felt like I was standing at the hotplate forEVER by the time I was done.
That's when my experiments began however; Dad was always pretty fond of my omelettes, and I used to laugh when he would rave about them because truly they were never the same creation twice in a row (how could they be a favourite when they were different?)
Way back in the beginning they were rather basic, grated cheese (of course!), mushrooms, green peppers, sometimes green onions but sometimes I'd come to cook and realize that something was "missing", so I'd raid the fridge and cupboard to see what else I might use instead.
Sometimes the combinations worked well, and other times not-so-well but Dad would never complain. I did get a few weird looks now and then, though. Over the years it became one of the things Dad missed most about me not living close to home anymore. More recently I'd teased him that if he'd at least get internet, I could try and upload one to him.
It was a joke of course.. but after him promising me dinner and roses for making some calls for him - I'd received a package in the mail with a postcard depicting a large bouquet of flowers, and shortly after lunch arrived in the form of a Burger King coupon that looked like a burger on the one side of the ad. He laughed about that for years - I pinned them on my fridge, it always made me smile to see them and laugh thinking about my Dad and the warped sense of humour we shared.
When I first joined Epicure, I had only tried a couple of the dips at friend's places but hadn't really dug in myself. Friends swore by Lemon Dilly Dip, and at their suggestion I began sprinkling it on fish, on chicken, in egg salad to name a few.. and it is wonderful!
But there are times when you want to try something just a little bit different.. to kick things up a notch (as Emeril would say) so then what?
Recently, I decided to change up my favourite breaded chicken recipe and instead of Lemon Dilly Dip, I substituded Poco Picante Salsa. I was doing quite a bit of chicken so I mixed the panko bread crumbs with about a tablespoon and a half of the mix, moved my chicken from egg wash through the breaded mixture and into the pan.
To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect, or how good or bad it would be, but I was hit with an unexpected boredom with meal prep and wanted to shake it up a little.
It went over very well in our household, so much so that when I shared the idea with my mother-in-law, they wanted to try it so I brought over my friend Poco Picante on our next visit so she could play-test too. It went over very well there too!
Don't be afraid to try something new ~
you never know what you'll create next! :)
Have you changed up a meal in your kitchen lately? I'd love to hear about it!
