Do More, Watch Less

Yesterday's post focused very much on my outlook for the world. However, this blog purports to view the world through the lense of food, so with that in mind, today we're going to include more cooking. So I promise, if you read far enough down, you'll actually find some food talk!

About ten years ago I had a revelation. I realized that I was spending most of my life watching things, and not nearly enough time doing things. Think about it. How much time do you spend watching a movie, or a sporting event, or likely worst of all, a TV show? Do any of these things contribute to your life? My take is that they're all really "filler", a way to pass time in between periods of activity. Don't get me wrong--this has it's place. A good movie or a football game can let you escape from reality for a little while and relax, and that's a definite benefit. The problem comes in when you spend most of your free time on filler.

Historically, people haven't had much free time. There were fields to till and crops to bring in, food to hunt, and predators and enemies to fight off. Moreover, until artificial lights enabled more activity after sunset, active times were heavily constrained by the day-night cycle. After sunset, pretty much people just went to sleep. Today, though, at least in the US, Europe and other first world countries, the proportion of time taken up by work is less, the work itself is less backbreaking, leaving more energy for other activities, and the time available for non-work activity has been extended through lighting technology. Sounds like a good thing, right?

Sadly, many people don't seem to capitalize on this gift of free time. Escaping through watching the activities of others, real or fictional, doesn't actually get you anywhere in life. Sad as it is to say, it's a way of marking time, and as we all know, eventually we all have no time left. Doing something, however, no matter how small, is another story--it brings tangible rewards. So here's my advice (for however much that's worth): take advantage of your free time rather than looking for a way to make it pass.

There are lots of ways to take advantage of free time. Obvious ones include further education, starting a business on the side, playing (not watching) a sport, or even starting a blog! However, more routine things count, too. How about cooking, for instance?

When you cook, there is an obvious, direct benefit--you get a meal to eat! However, you also learn things along the way--cooking techniques, characteristics of the ingredients you use, and how different ingredients combined together taste. Cooking is a life skill--it can help you attract friends and romantic partners (a cliche, I know, but it's true--it certainly helped me attract girlfriends back in my single days), so it has value beyond the immediate meal. It's also something of a craft, or at its highest level, even an art form. When you cook a great meal, you get the same feelings any craftsman or artist gets when they create a great product.

It's also a good team activity. If you have children, cook with them! They'll be much more likely to eat what you make if they have a hand in its creation. And it gives you something that you can do together, teaches them a skill as described above, and demonstrates for them something to do with their free time besides watching life go by. I think that's an important lesson for children to learn--one of the problems I think we face today is that many people are unwilling to invest the work required to receive the rewards they desire.

Anyway, if you'd like a suggestion for a recipe to make with your kids, here's a good one. Macaroni and Cheese is a sure-fire winner. A word of warning, however--once you make this recipe from scratch, nobody in your family is going to be satisfied with Macaroni and Cheese out of a box ever again!

Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 stick (4 tbsp) of butter
3 - 4 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 3/4 cups milk
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese (the better the cheese, the better the dish will be)
10 oz macaroni (approx 2/3 of a 1 lb package)
4 hot dogs, sliced horizontally 1/4' thick (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, cook macaroni according to directions on package.

In another pan, melt butter over medium heat. When it stops foaming, turn off the heat. Add enough flour to make a thin paste (about like thick gravy). Stir in mustard, then gradually add milk, stirring to keep the sauce smooth. Cut up all but the last inch of the cheese into small pieces, and add them to the milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring slowly, until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.

Drain cooked macaroni and place in large, ovenproof dish. Add sauce and hot dog slices., and stir well. Grate remaining cheese over the top, and bake uncovered for about 40 minutes.