Finding my Niche

I've been reading some of the other million cooking-related blogs on the internet, and trying to figure out what makes mine different and enticing to readers. It is so hard to find my niche, when I have so many things to write about!

As I was introducing my blog to my Rotary club yesterday, I said that in my household we don't do low-calorie, we do low-ingredient. Low-ingredient meals are usually super easy and quick. However, most 4 or 5 ingredient recipes use processed foods. I try to use as few processed foods as possible, so my 4 or 5 ingredient recipe might turn into 7 or 8 ingredients, though still quick and easy.

I love to find shortcuts in as many ways as possible. I don't want to contradict myself, but I always try to find a substitution for several ingredients in a single prepared ingredient. For instance, why shred two blocks of cheese, when you can buy one bag of an already shredded cheese blend? Or why use a bunch of different spices, when you can find a spice blend like Montreal Steak Seasoning or poultry seasoning?

Washing dishes and loading the dishwasher take up more time than cooking a meal in my house, usually. To minimize the number of preparation dishes, pots and pans, I always read a recipe first, then re-format it with as few ingredients and dishes as possible. Again, any shortcuts I can find, I will pass along.

Lastly, I always try to keep meals as healthy as possible. As I mentioned earlier, I don't use a lot of processed foods. Some foods that our generation believes are unhealthy, are actually healthier than processed foods. Butter, for instance, has been used for roughly 4500 years. I will be posting the benefits of butter in a later post. Personally, I would rather feed my family something that has been used for centuries than something that was created in a lab with the same ingredients as plastic. Thanks to my Norwegian stepdad, I really appreciate the creamy deliciousness of butter in so many ways that I never thought I would (like on top of a steak!).

So, to sum up my current ramblings, I guess you could say my niche is low-ingredient, healthy, shortcut cooking!