I was hoping to learn a few things about cooking by starting this blog, and I have. And then there are some things I haven’t learned yet. This week’s example: seasoning by feel. I’ve noticed that most recipes include detailed amounts for every ingredient, followed by a vague “salt to taste.” Now, I grew up without any extra butter or salt, so I need a stricter guideline than that. I mean, a recipe wouldn’t call for “oregano to taste,” right? Anyway, this week I made lentil soup from this recipe:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/health/nutrition/28recipehealth.html

See there: “Salt to taste” and “Pepper to taste.” And thanks to my bad seasoning instincts, the soup turned out somewhat bland, and quite unlike the picture in the article.

Also, I should learn to garnish.

Unimpressiveness aside, this soup was cheap to make—about $4.50 for four large servings. I’d pay upwards of $6 for a bowl of soup like that in the city (assuming it was seasoned properly), so I’ve virtually saved about $20.

This week, I decided to donate the difference to Mercy Corps. They provide humanitarian aid, including an impressive response to the Haiti earthquake. The effects of the disaster are far from over, but I’m still going with the “Where Most Needed” option. Maybe at this point “Haiti Earthquake” is its equivalent anyway.