In college I had gotten used to the dimly lit, closet-sized kitchens of campus apartments. We’d cook in them, sure, but only as quickly as possible and maybe once or twice a week. Meals were convenient and fast, with a coffee table for a kitchen table, and T.V. for table talk. The food was normally good because we were resourceful and shopped smart, but even as we moved farther from campus where kitchens tended to improve, the time spent in them didn’t.

Since I’ve been back in Wilmington, the time I spend in kitchens of friends or Mom or– only recently– my own, has grown from twenty minutes a day to several hours a night. We cook because, some of the time, there’s nothing else to do. We cook because food has a lot to do with our jobs. We actually use all of our cookware, our blender, food processors and bread maker instead of letting them collect dust in a cabinet where they used to be. And lately, we cook because our kitchen is big, for the first time ever.

On a typical night here we’ll cook greens. Kale or chard or spinach. Lots of onion and garlic, some olive oil. Normally some kind of protein– either chicken, tofu or tuna. Maybe rice or a grain and almost always a steamed vegetable. In short, simple food. But good food. And the leftovers make meals for days.

Frankie and I have been inspired by it. We’ve decided to set a goal of three new recipes a week, found online or borrowed from friends. It should make for good times in the kitchen and add to our recipe book, as well as make for some good blogstuff.  I don’t want to trumpet it or make a production of it because, well, it’s been done before. A lot. This is just a way to challenge ourselves to spend more time in the kitchen, with friends. Sign me up.

I think to start, we’re going to break out the slow cooker and make this Indian dish I’ve been ogling. Slow cooked chicken masala. Yes please.