Why every meal is a new experience

I'm going to jump back in time today because I think this story really shows why I think every meal is a new experience, even the ones I have made before. I learned how to cook by feel and taste. I don't remember any recipes in my family - at least not any that were written down. From cookies, to bread, to every day eating, I remember my Nana making food from her memory and using her senses. One example is biscochitos - an anise sugar cookie that she made every Christmas. She started with a 16 oz block of Morrell lard, and that was the only "real" measurement. She would add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and anise by hand and by eye. She knew when the lard was creamed enough by the way it felt in her hands. She added the flour by feel. Oh, she had a starting measurement because she would have us put flour in the sifter and sift it in - but her measurement was the coffee cup that was in the flour can. Before she died, my family sat with her and measured the ingredients so we could continue to make them, but this is the way I learned how to cook. This is also why it's hard for me to share recipes for things I cook; because every time I make something, I'm kind of making it up.

Fast forward to last week. I made a cherry pound cake because I had some leftover cherries from another dessert I made the week before (that's how a lot of my cooking adventures start, "What's in the fridge?"). I didn't want them to spoil or go to waste, so I decided to make a cake with them. So, I went to the internet and started looking for pound cake with fresh fruit. I sifted through a lot of recipes until I found a few that sounded like something I wanted to eat. So, I picked one, and copied down the basic measurements in my handy notebook, as shown below:

If you can read it, good for you! For everyone else, it basically lists the ingredients I need, the oven temperature, the specific instructions that I wouldn't "know," like alternating the sour cream and flour, and the baking and resting times. That's it. The cake came out exactly like I imagined, and looked just like this:

So it all worked out perfectly! Now here's the problem - I don't remember which recipe I used, and I tweaked the fruit content and make up, and so I will never make exactly this cake again. The next time I make this, it'll be a little different, which I think is why I love cooking so much. I also think it's a kind of metaphor for life. You're never in the exactly the same situation twice - something is always different. Whether it's you that has changed or something else about the situation, you always need to tweak the recipe a little bit. 

Enough philosophy - tonight's new adventure is citrus chicken! Why, because I have some oranges and lemons that need to be used, and I have chicken in the freezer. Oh, and I also saw a recipe for something like this in one of my Food & Wine magazines. Now, where did I put that thing? See you tomorrow!!