You are probably a sophisticated eater. Doubtful? Let’s take this mini-quiz I just made up on the spot. It’s based on what I see most of my friends have in their pantry. You can mark yourself according to how many you have but let’s just say that if you have any of these ingredients or if even know what they are, you are probably falling in the sophisticated territory.  Do you have:

• Dried spices
• Chilies: fresh, frozen or pastie
• Hot sauce
• Any vinegar that isn’t white (red wine, white wine, balsamic)
• Any grain that isn’t rice (quinoa, bulgar, couscous)

See where I am going with this?

I bet it was pretty hard to scale back when it came time to weaning your baby and family cooking?  In our house, the idea that spice was not going to be front and center was something we all mourned for awhile.  I love things hot and so does my husband.  It has certainly been an adjustment.  I prefer to think of this change as an adjustment.  Taking spice out of the equation or a few bought sauces of dubious origins doesn’t have to mean tasteless. Babies have a fresh palate to form and mush does not need to be endured for long or at all depending on your perspective.

Let me share with you the things I have learned from experience. Truisms if you will.

The first is that onions are your new best friend.  Their sweetness and the depth of flavor they add to any dish is amazing.  Get to know your Onion.

The second is that the freshness of fresh herbs can’t be beat.  Fresh flavors happen when you start to add herbs without care.  In my opinion there is never any reason to try to ram parsley into a tablespoon measure.  Make it your own and everyone is going to love it.

Third is that natural sweetness is a powerful thing. Dried fruit, fresh fruit and a host of vegetables that i owe the world to are coming to mind.  Have them at the ready.

The last truism that I want to share with you is the concept of ‘real’. Make everything real. Real butter, real stocks and real sweeteners.  I refuse to be the sugar police but I am the additive police. Silent lurking preservatives are a no go because if they had something to bring to the table apart from making food last longer, they would be touted from the highest tower. FDA approved or not, phony flavor are not something I am prepared to add to my family meals and you can trust that recipes found here will wave the banner for this cause.  I should add that it may seem scary to keep cream and other fatty items in your home but the benefits far out weigh the cons.  And if you can’t fathom tossing your low fat butter, yogurt and artificial sweetener, think of the French.  They seem to be doing ok and I’m starting to think that everything they eat was originally made for babies. All except baguettes.  Those things are tough.

My next few posts are all going to fall under Basics but you might find the recipes and concepts, while basic, are a long lost art.