Oh Darn, I Have to Cook

     I'm not sure why I can't write a story that doesn't have food in it.  It's like food is a recurring character across all my manuscripts, regardless of setting, plot, or genre.  I'm starting to think my personal paradise would be the Hobbiton Public Library, if such a place existed--nothing like a good novel over second breakfast, after all!

Today, second breakfast will be doughnuts, apparently.

     Sometimes I use food as a way to add depth to a character.  Sometimes I use it as a means of setting a mood for the scene.  But in my current project, it actually plays a pivotal role in uncovering the main character's lost history, & in putting ghosts to rest.  Literally.
     This means cooking will be a part of my literary research!  If I'm going to have my character preparing plot-critical dishes, I'd darn well better know how to make them myself!  It's not enough to go out & find them at a restaurant or bakery (which is a little challenging at the moment, regardless).  I need to know about the ingredients.  I need to hear the sound of my knife against the cutting board.  I need to feel the texture of the dough.  I need to experience the changes in aroma as the recipe progresses, and the satisfaction of eating things freshly made from scratch.
     Have I made you hungry yet?  No?  Well, here's the growing list of what I need to learn to cook for this novel:

   - Kimchi
   - Golabki
   - Pierogi
   - Conchas
   - Pan de Muertos
   - Cookies

     Yes, it's a motley list.  It's a complicated plot.
     "Cookies" I intentionally left vague, because these have to be mind-blowingly delicious cookies, so I anticipate baking several.  They will probably be some variation of chocolate-chip, because chocolate.  If you have an outstanding recipe for chocolate chip cookies you would like to share with me I would be very grateful.
     As I try my hand at these dishes I will document my efforts here, & let you see my glorious mistakes and tasty triumphs as they occur.  In the meantime, I have writing to do...& doughnuts to find.