One of the key drivers of happiness is curiosity learning. That is learning that doesn't necessarily go towards what you do as a job. Something that just tickles your fancy and that you give enough time to learn something. It's a fun thing but it is also valuable to you.
I never learned to cook and yes growing up in Africa I did a lot of BBQ cooking and then learned how to use the wok when we came to live in the UK which lacked the guaranteed sunshine of Africa. My curiosity was that I wanted to learn how to cook ordinary tasty food but really didn't want to go to cooking lessons. So this year I set myself the task of learning to cook 50 new dishes and tonight I will get to 46.
Its been fabulous fun, I'm slow, I follow recipes to the letter, I just cook for my wife and I and I'm a one dish guy BUT I'm getting a whole lot better.
I would like to share two discoveries from this week that anyone could do.
- Caramel - my challenge this week was to make caramel swirl ice cream. After a lot of research I found http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/45/caramel-sauce.aspx and even for an amateur like me it worked. What an awesome experience to see the raw ingredients turn into something very tasty. Having made it I cooled it down, then refrigerated it and finally having made Ben and Jerry French vanilla ice cream I swirled it in and yes it is very yummy.
- Whole meal bread - everyone should make a loaf of bread and I can't start to describe how satisfying it is to hand make a loaf of bread. We yearned for a loaf of bread we used to enjoy in our Cape Town days - a Cape Seed Loaf. I found http://www.food.com/recipe/cape-seed-loaf-355349 and its easy to make and it's delicious.
So if you can find the time during the holidays give them a go, especially to make a loaf of bread. Do something completely different and feel a lot happier in the process.
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