CQ HQ December 2007

The weeks are getting busier and busier, and I haven't found much time for cooking original dishes, much less blogging about them. But I am happy to report that I am managing to respect some of the objectives I set for this school year's culinary organization.

For example, I have managed to eliminate a lot of ready-made foods from our menus. Don't get me wrong -- I like to cook and do not rely on packages and packets. But when things get hectic, last year I found myself turning a little too often to frozen dishes from Picard.

The problem with Picard is that every time I go there, I get tempted by products like this:

Wouldn't you want to taste a fig, mozzarella and smoked-ham pizza? I know I would..and did.

But this school year, I'm trying to cut that out for a variety of reasons. When I really don't have the energy to cook, rather than taking the frozen food route, I have turned more to locally-produced ready-made products, put up in jars or vacuum-packed by local farmers. This is a growing agrifood sector, and I feel better about eating farm foods from the area than buying overly-packaged frozen products from a big chain.

This is one of the directions I'm hoping to take CQ in 2008: a little more about the products available in France, from supermarket choices to locally-produced dishes. Because I just don't always find the time or the energy to cook...even here in the French countryside.