Let yourself be creative with cooking.
- Mike Boisvenue
- Nov 30, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 28
Welcome to Mike's Food Lab!
My name is Mike Boisvenue and I'm a retired IT consultant with a passion for astronomy and anything science. I also love writing and I have a few stories in the works. However, cooking is my biggest passion.
I learned Canadian country style cooking from my mother, who was a fantastic home cook. Everything Mom made was delicious. Using basic ingredients, she had a way of making even simple dishes absolutely divine. Inspired by Mom’s cooking, my appetite for the art was born. During my teen years, and well into my 20's, I worked in several different restaurants where I picked up various cooking skills along the way.
Here are a few teasers:
My Other Career
Even though I loved working in the food industry, I left it all behind, went to college and pursued a career in IT. My reason, the jobs were far better paying. Still, my appreciation for cooking was unabated and I continued to refine my food preparation skills all my life.
Now, I'm retired and can spend even more time feeding my passion and compiling material for this blog. My blog is actually based on a "never ending" cookbook that I have been working on for several years. As of the date of this post, it contained 455 pages and it continues to grow and evolve.
My "Food Lab" is not at all about analyzing the nutritional breakdown or chemical composition of ingredients in my dishes but more about trying to discover new flavors by "experimenting" with food. I love trying to come up with new food ideas. In addition, I try as much as possible to make my own variations of items we typically buy pre-made.
One of my philosophies about cooking is, there are very few etched-in-stone rules that must be followed. It's OK, in most cases, to stray off the beaten path and put your own twist on dishes. Taste is an indisputable thing that is different for everyone. That being said, my motto has always been, don’t be afraid to make changes to recipes to suit your preferences or to try completely off-the-wall, imagination inspired ideas. That is how wonderful new culinary delights will come to life in your kitchen. Let your inspirations roam free; then, you can share the unexpectedly new and delicious results with your friends and family.
Certain foods, like desserts, are not very flexible when it comes to modifying the quantity of certain key ingredients. There is more of a chemistry that comes into play and making changes could have undesirable effects. Nevertheless, even desserts involving chemistry can be modified and elevated with just a bit of creativity.
Unchain your kitchen and don’t be afraid to experiment and turn it into your very own Food Lab.
Something To Start With
As a starter, I invite you to try the following recipe by clicking on the image below.
This soup is one of my favorites. It packs a refreshing and bold flavor. It is based on a soup I tasted when I worked in a Greek restaurant. The soup contained lemon juice and fresh lima beans and I found it so different and delicious. I was never given the recipe but, I experimented with variations of ingredients and eventually managed to replicate the soup to my satisfaction. Since fresh lima beans are hard to come by, I started making the soup with navy beans and it turned out great.
Bon Appétit!
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