Julie & Julia... Isn't this what every foodie wants to do?

I have an incredible urge to take a week off, drop everything in my life and subject myself
to a marathon of cooking. After eagerly anticipating watching "Julie & Julia" on my last
flight, I can not help but think it was more than a coincidence the "En Route" magazine in
the seat pocket in front of me was 'The Food Issue'!

Until now, the closest I've come to my own "Julie & Julia" experience was prepping for my
last Pampered Chef Open House. I frantically made recipe after recipe- whipping, chopping,
baking and simmering, sampling, tossing, adjusting and redoing. Making my way through the
new cookbook, though significantly smaller than "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", I
mentally noted the keepers, what to tweak for next time, and what to forget. Having never
before forced myself to make a selection of recipes in this manner, it was truly a unique
experience. There was this drive that I MUST finish, or I MUST get it right that caused me
to try, try and try again until I was proud of my dish.

Have you ever had the desire to cook your way through a cookbook? Does flipping through a
new Rachel Ray magazine trigger a desire to rush out and buy every ingredient you need to
lock yourself in your kithen for the rest of the day?

For me, reality sets in shortly after. Can I afford all those ingredients? When do I really
have time to make all this? Who will eat all this food? Perhaps, it is time my friends and I
started to throw dinner parties, rather than heading out for Tuesday Tapas!