Have you ever lost your food excitement? How did you get it back?

this happens to me all the time. it has always been a product of what's taking place in my life. if time becomes limited due to increased work, or taking on other interests that keep me away from home then i cook less. but i've always ended up coming back to the kitchen eventually. maybe you can try dedicating a specific night once a week or so to cook a meal.

or you can try subscribing to a food magazine, maybe each new issue will serve as inspiration to get your colander back out.

I used to hate to cook. This cooking thing only dates back to this summer.

Anyway, how about focusing on one thing and trying to get it "right"? The perfect lemon tart, or whatever.

Try finding a different venue to cook in, like a class somewhere. Or, find other people to cook for or to teach how to cook. Or (this is the expensive option), absolutely do not let yourself cook anything for a solid week (minimum). Nothing but takeaway and deli food and restaurant meals. Live in a motel with nothing but a microwave and 4-cup coffee maker. Eventually, it will be bliss to stand stirring over a steaming pot of something, anything, in even the most inefficient kitchen.

I think focusing one one thing and trying to perfect it is a good idea. Just make sure you have friends and family to offload all your test projects on.

Sometimes I get so that I don't feel like cooking anything. That was a couple weeks ago and I'm back in the swing of things now. I think it's like writer's block or when you read too much and then don't feel like picking up a book for a month. Here are the two things I usually do:

1. Pick up a cooking magazine and make something inside. I like Everyday Food, Gourmet and Cooks Illustrated. A simple, easy recipe for yourself is a managable goal.

2. Cook for someone or some people. I like to have my sister and her boyfriend down to my place, or my neighbor. They never really expect anything super-special, so I can do something relatively easy (e.g. shrimp stir-fry). They coo and ooo ahhh over the dinner, tell me how nice it is (shit, I think they're just happy to be getting a free meal) and all the praise gets me back into cooking.