Cooking: The Anti-Andrew.

I'm not feeling particularly creative, or impulsive, or any other adjective that involves my brain. Sometimes though, its important to push through whatever drudgery may exist in order to A) keep yourself occupied and B) remotely interested in the tasks at hand. Who knows, maybe something exciting will come of it.

Did you know, that George Bush and Barack Obama are 11th cousins through Sam and Sarah Hinckley of 17th-century Massachusetts? The more you know, people.

Tonight was my night to cook dinner, and it reminded me how therapeutic the simple things in life can be. There is something satisfying about feeling a blade beneath my hand and being able to carve a slab of ribs into perfectly cut segments. A perfect pink, with the right rub and a proper BBQ sauce can make anybody beam from ear to ear. A coworker made a comment to me today...they said, "You really need to get yourself to culinary school. You have the gift to make people smile...can you imagine combining that with your love of cooking?"

Depending on who you ask, some people would tell you I haven't been doing anything right lately. Others would say I'm dragging my feet. And even a few more would say I'm living the life I should be. I'm not feeling especially profound tonight, so I'm going to share a secret with everybody:

wait for it....

....here it comes....

...its guaranteed to open your eyes....

its one of my favorite recipes in the world! Why? Because its so god damn simple. Something I wish I could be. I feel like, with cooking, less is always more. It gives me a feeling of control that I don't always have over myself. Think thats emo? Fuck off. :) Men have emotions too. Without further ado, here is my recipe for STUFFED MUSHROOMS

STUFFED MUSHROOMS:

Ingredients:

>24 Large Fresh Mushrooms

>1/4 Cup sliced green onions

>1 clove of minced garlic

> 1/4 Cup of butter

> 2/3 Cup bread crumbs

> 1/2 Cup shredded cheese

Preheat your oven to 425, folks.

First, you've gotta rinse those mushrooms. I know the smell and taste of dirt is irresistible at times (hell, I'll be the first to admit, I love the smell of manure from home depot), but it doesnt taste so great later. Remove the stems, and chop the caps to make 1 cup worth of mushroom caps. I'd say mince, but thats too much.

*******SIDE NOTE: It has been brought to my attention by a number of readers that this may not be proper practice. I have been told on numerous occasions that rinsing mushrooms is ok...but soaking is not. However, I am now hearing that mushrooms should never be rinsed, because it makes them tough. Thoughts?*****

In a medium saucepan, take all of that butter and use it to cook the stems, onions and garlic, until they're tender. You know what I'm talking about. When the garlic goes from smelling like my old soccer bag to something worth salivating over.

When ready, stir in the cheese and bread crumbs. Spoon the mixture back into the mushroom caps. Arrange those fun guys onto a baking sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes. Seriously. Thats all it takes. You want bacon in there? BAM. Put bacon in there. I'm not going to tell you how to live your life.

Stay hungry, my friends.