Celebrating Julia Child

Happy 100th birthday to Julia Child! I have to admit that I wasn't precisely sure who Julia Child was until about four years ago, when I read Julie & Julia and watched the movie. But since then, I've fallen in love with her cooking and personality. My mom bought me a Julia Child cookbook, The Way to Cook, which provides extremely detailed instructions for every recipe. My favorite so far: boeuf bourguignon. Heavenly.

Tonight my parents and I are enjoying a PBS special with Julia Child, the episode where she cooks different omelets. She's hilarious! I especially love when she says, "If no one's looking..." and then proceeds to pick up food off the counter or smush things together with her hands. That's my style of cooking! (The amount of butter she uses, on the other hand, hurts me just a little bit.)

Alright, on to the eats.



This morning I had my doctor's appointment at 10:30, and you just know I was struggling to make it until then without eating (I had to fast beforehand). I do everything in my power to never skip a meal, but in this case I didn't have a choice. I did, however, pack some trail mix for my drive home. Because, you know, waiting another 10 minutes to eat would have just been too much.

Once I got home, I chowed down on scrambled eggs and a piece of cinnamon toast with a bit of butter, plus tea. Skipping breakfast doesn't mean I have to miss eating it altogether. Am I right?

And then came the long drive. LA to the Bay Area is approximately five hours nonstop, and I packed several snacks for the road:

• 2:00 pm - Banana & oatmeal-raisin cookie
• 3:00 pm - Apple & brownie 

Once I arrived home at 6 pm, Mom had appetizers for us (her famous mushroom pizzas), along with delicious wine. For dinner (around 8), Mom and Dad served burgers and corn on the cob. I loaded my burger with avocado, lettuce, bacon, and even a few slices of tomato from my parents' garden.

[Sorry for the lack of photos today. It was an odd day, and photos while driving really wouldn't have turned out too well, I imagine.]

And now, 10 reasons I love Julia Child:

1. Her recipes are delicious, and they turn out great every time.
2. Her cookbook is extremely comprehensive (cakes, braises, and salads all in one book).
3. She says "tomahto".
4. She provides back up options and tells you what substitutes to use if needed. 
5. It's perfectly okay to make mistakes.
6. She wants cooking to be fun, not stressful or a chore.
7. She's unconventional. At 6'3" I guess that's something she embraced early in life.
8. In her show, if something doesn't go quite right, she laughs about it and makes some sarcastic comment. I love sarcasm.
9. She cooks a lot of French food. What's not to love?
10. Her relationship with her husband, at least as it's depicted in the movie Julie & Julia, seems perfectly romantic and adorable.

Are you a fan of celebrity chefs? Who's your favorite?

I would say that my favorite contemporary chef is Ina Garten. Much like Julia, everything she makes looks (and, from what I've made, is) delicious.