By Cheryl Cumings | From BayLines Express, August, 2021
Cooking in the Dark (CND) is not the typical cooking show. It is a weekly podcast created, hosted and produced entirely by blind people
About 18 years ago at a weekend get together with Phil Parr, the creator and host of “Blind Like Me” and “Blind Handyman,” the idea of having a cooking show for the blind was born. The purpose of the show is to provide blind and low vision people the tools and techniques that can be used to safely prepare a snack or an entire dinner. Together with my husband Tim who is the producer, I’ve been privileged to co-host Cooking in the Dark with chef Dale Campbell for the last 18 years. That is 440 Shows to date!
As Dale has mentioned over the years, “if by listening to the show someone gets into the kitchen and prepares something to eat, then we’ve succeeded”. Dale tells the audience “Get up and boil Water! Make something happen!” and hopes it will encourage them to get into the kitchen.
Among many other things, we have done shows on boiling eggs, frying bacon, making soups, roasting a turkey, and using a Crockpot to make dessert. We have also cooked Fish on the top rack of a Dishwasher (Dale’s daughter would not eat it), made Dinner in a Pumpkin, and created Witch Fingers for Halloween! Guest hosts have joined Dale and me and made delicious things like ice cream, chicken salad, apple dumplings and corn chowder. We talk about our cooking successes in the kitchen and those times when things haven’t quite gone as we had hoped. As Dale often mentions, mistakes are a way of learning. Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes they are delicious, happy mistakes! After a mishap, we just have to get back in the kitchen and try it again.
I love when we have guests because I get to meet new people and to enjoy their pleasure sharing with others. I particularly love when Dale shows us how to smoke meat. When asked, Dale said his favorite show was making an Easter bunny cake with his daughter Skyler. He also recounts stories of listeners telling him the impact the show has had on their lives. One man shared that after losing his sight he felt he was losing touch with his two daughters. The show became something they listened to together and then made the recipes together allowing him to reconnect with them. Another young man mentioned that the show helped him gain the confidence needed so he could do things for himself and that he started by getting his own breakfast.
Cooking in the Dark can be heard on American Council of the Blind Media Stream 1, the Talking Information Network across the country, Boston Neighborhood Network, Worcester Audio Journal, and downloaded as a podcast. To join the CND email distribution list, send a blank email to:
cookinginthedark+subscribe@groups.io
Here’s an easy recipe for a summer delight:
Mexican Corn Salad
Ingredients
16 oz frozen corn, thawed
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon paprika of cayenne pepper (optional)
2-ounce Cottage cheese, crumbled (about /2 cup), plus more for serving
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Directions
Heat skillet over medium heat and add oil.
Once hot add corn and sauté until heated through.
Remove from heat and transfer to medium bowl to cool completely.
Whisk mayonnaise, lime juice, paprika, cayenne, 2 oz. Cottage cheese, and 2 tablespoons cilantro in a large bowl.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add corn and toss to combine.
Top with more cheese and cilantro.
If you are feeling more autumn-like, try this:
Cranberry bred
Ingredients
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups whole milk
12 ounces fresh cranberries (frozen okay too)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
butter and flour an 8×4 inch loaf pan.
In a stand mixer cream your butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about
2-3 minutes.
Add in the vanilla and eggs until fully combined
In a separate bowl sift together the flour and baking powder before adding it into the stand mixer on low speed, alternating with the milk until just combined. Stir the cranberries in by hand until just combined and pour into the pan and bake for 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.