Cooking to relax

     So I went to the store the other day after work and decided that I really wanted to cook, I mean really cook.  I walked the aisles of the grocery store and saw so many products that were processed, pre-made, packaged, and ready to go.  All you would need is either a microwave, hot water, or an oven.  Thought and manipulation of the product in front of you is gone.  There's no love in the food that you're about to eat.  Some may disagree with that because someone had to handle the product at one point or another and put some care into the food.  I hate to break it to you but the majority of the food that's produced is done so for money and nothing else.
     That's why we have to get back to local, sustainable, real product.  Get back in the kitchen and really get your hands dirty and experience more of what you're eating.  For example, while at the store, I was at the meat counter and ready to buy chicken.  Usually if you're looking for chicken breast, you just buy the package that has three or four pieces and make your meal.  Instead of that, I bought a six pound bird.  Everything was still intact and it was only $1.48 more in total.  Now that seems like a good deal to me.  A full bird gives you 8 cuts which for two people, you can get several meals instead of just one or two.
     There's something very therapeutic about cooking.  Whatever it is that you're working with, manipulating that product through careful consideration to achieve a result that you can be proud is very rewarding.  Purchasing produce and meat in their raw state and making something delicious and beautiful is very difficult believe it or not.  Francois Minot said something that really stuck with me and I think of his quote almost every time I cook.  "Anyone can make you enjoy the first bite of a dish but only a real chef can make you enjoy the last".  That's a lot of pressure, if you work in the food business but while at home, it just creates a challenge within yourself.
     Try it sometime.  Go to the store and grab something that you've never had before and cook.  It's amazing how food can inspire creation by just holding it in your hands.  Buying food in this manner can get expensive so you always have to be careful but the reward is that much sweeter than any fast food restaurant or a frozen meal from the grocery store.
     I made a soup for my wife once that was a Butternut Squash & Apple soup.  Onions, celery, garlic, butternut squash, apples, water, salt, white pepper, bay leaves, and paprika.  Preparing everything and slowly watching it turn into this velvety, full flavored soup with no hidden flavors and secret ingredients helped calm my mood tremendously.  I know this is why I made the huge leap of attending culinary school.  I thoroughly enjoyed cooking more than my original career choice of Psychology.  There's something about cooking that calms my intense personality more so than Psychology. 
     Low on money, hungry and can't stand it?  Do what I do sometimes and just open the refrigerator or cabinet and look around and challenge yourself to try and make a meal with what you have in front of you.