Freedom

I've had an epiphany - much as I love cooking and baking, I've stopped. I had my last "what's that green stuff" and the "meat is too spicy" comment. They can eat sandwiches or cheese and crackers... For years I've juggled at least 2 or even 3 meals at every sitting with people's likes and dislikes.

I've tried getting my daughter involved in the cooking process - the professionals suggest the kids will eat what they make. Not my kid - she's happy to help, but defies the experts. This is hard to do when she's frequently ill - as a mother I want what is best for her well-being.

I have no patience for a psychotic stove that burns things at 75 degrees less than suggested, in half the time... It's what we get for being forced to buy the cheapest stove going when our old one died. Sometimes it really is true that you get what you pay for, especially with an item that you want to last a few years.

Interestingly, I want to finish my native cookbook, and that requires making samples of the dishes to tweak the recipes. Aboriginal fusion is not just a balance of old/modern but cultural re-interpretation, so I think this is an important thing to complete. We use the Ancestors Diet to help our clients balance blood pH levels, and for those who want to control diabetes with diet and not insulin.

For now, let them eat crap, and perhaps they'll ask for a home-cooked meal. Until then, my apron is retired.