The Food Network

Like all Lyme patients I probably watch my fair share of television. I am not one to watch during the day, but I confess I do watch at night. Truly today's piece of technology called "TiVo", is a Lyme Patients haven. How wonderful it is to record all your favorite shows indefinitely and watch them whenever you want! When we first got this new fangled gadget my husband had to explain to how it worked over and over again. It was inconceivable to me that I could actually be watching a show when other shows on other channels were recording at the same time!

TiVo has kept me occupied quite nicely during the evenings of the last two years. Some of my favorite shows are on the Food Network. I think Bobby Flay is really cute, (if that matters) and has great cooking ideas....just love that "Throwdown With Bobby Flay". Someday if I get well, I have visions of us buying a monstrous size RV and roaming the USA tracking down all the 'awesome' cooks and their eateries on Throwdown. "Challenge" keeps me involved; some of those beautiful cakes they make are more like pieces of art than food. It really amazes me. There is a show called "Chopped" where 4 chefs go head to head in a cooking competition that involves preparing the secret ingredients in a basket for 3 consecutive courses. I am always blown way by the dishes they come up with mixing ingredients that basically make no sense together. Then there is Ina Garten, aka, "The Barefoot Contessa", with her sheik airy TV set kitchen in the Hamptons. Almost everything she makes, starts with a "a half pound of butter", so I could rarely ever make one of her recipes, but none the less, she entertains me. She has a publisher come for breakfast and has made fresh Banana Sour Cream Pancakes, fresh squeezed juices and gorgeous home made muffins. Friends stop by and she whips up homemade Profiteroles (used to be my favorite desert, ever) with such ease. She seems very calm and very at ease in the kitchen.

Strange how I have been lured into the Food Network. It's like entering this magical world of food and people who have day after day, continue to produce the most interesting and seemingly tasteful dishes. Everything is so colorful and beautiful and happy. I guess in many ways it pleases what senses I have left and brings some happiness for a half hour or hour. There this is no plot line, no protagonist or underdog. It's just about cooking. Pretty simple. Lyme has made my life so complicated. The Food Network is simple joy, no strings attached for just a little while.

Sometimes, I need just to have a "little while".