Cooking

I have never been a very big cook. I could really never have liked working in the kitchen very much, except when it came to baking. I grew up in a home in which there never was much cooking, and if there was it didn't involve us kids, so I never really learned how. When I married, it even really became part of the wedding shower joke, you know, "don't worry about buying stuff for the kitchen, Meagan doesn't cook..." So I just went with it. It isn't till the last year or so, that I have felt like I really needed to learn how to cook as a way of providing for the family.

But I never really did it. I think out of a combination of not being a big eater (usually), not knowing how to cook, morning sickness, and being afraid to really try. Oh, and the "Mommy, I don't like this.... can I have peanut butter and jelly instead?"

One thing that is popular up north, with Mike's family at least, is that all the women cook.... or at least know how to cook. I don't know why exactly, maybe it is cause you can cook for fun in the middle of winter when there is snow up to the rooftops and you are going stir crazy....(I think maybe I should even be tempted to cook if that were the case) or maybe it is just that Mike comes from a family that likes to cook.

Well, Uncle Clyde and Aunt Maryann (whom we stay with) have cooking down to a science. Not only do they do it well, but all the food ends up on the table at the same time (It may sound easy, but I at least have always struggled with that). They make it look so easy that *even I could do it*.... and every year I come home thinking, I am going to make dinner plans. I am going to attempt to cook.

So I have been this past week. I think our grocery bills are going up a little, but that is probably not a bad thing... being that one can only get so much health benefits out of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and noodles. (okay it wasn't that bad but still) Anyways, I took some of Maryann's cooking secrets home with me too.... here's her secret.

( everyone is on the edge of their seats in anticipation...... I just know it)

Her secret is..... preparation. Now I used to think that it was a rather abstract sounding word when I didn't know how to cook.... I would think preparation was what cooking was all about. I mean cooking is preparing to set food on the table so everyone can eat. Rather, the opposite is true, in a sense anyways. Maryann's method of preparation is that one must decide early in the day what to have on the table for dinner. That way you can prepare to prepare dinner. You know, pull out any meat that needs to be defrosted, or plan the time to go grocery shopping. Then, pull out the pots and all non-perishables that can sit out for a while and have them ready and waiting for dinner time to come around. For example, having green beans for dinner???? if canned, place the can in the pot on the stove so you just have to open the can and pour them in to heat them up. If fresh, then clean them up and have them in the pot so you can add water and turn it on. That way you are not distracted by too many things going on at once (searching the pantry for the can of beans while the rest is burning on the stove) and can spend the time you need to tending to the food that needs tending to while it cooks. Plus seeing it started makes it easier to carry it through and have it on the table when it needs to be because there is the constant reminder of what needs to be done.

So what have I cooked this week? Well, we had chicken on the grill on Monday, Tuesday I made shrimp fettuccine Alfredo from scratch, Wednesday we had leftovers from Tuesday, and Thursday we had Grilled cheese sandwiches and for dinner tonight we are having pulled barbecue chicken from the crock pot. (So far I think tonight's dinner is by far my favorite.... even if it isn't real yummy, it sure has made my house smell yummy..... I just can't wait!)

Now, that isn't to say that it hasn't been a week worth of cooking mishaps and later than intended dinners. Like Tuesdays dinner, was at 8, rather than 6.... in part cause I didn't know how to clean the shrimp all the way and had to wait for help from Mike the shrimp expert. Thursdays dinner involved some burnt bread scraping.... but it was still yummy enough to eat (once I scraped it). And hey, I am finding that I even kind of like cooking, little delays, mishaps, and all.

And it will be even better once I get even better at it.

Next weeks Menu:
Monday: Corn Casserole
Tuesday: Spaghetti
Wednesday: Tuna Casserole
Thursday: baked Shrimp (we have lots of shrimp to use in our freezer)
Friday: Apricot-Dijon-Glazed Chicken
Saturday: Tortilla Soup
Sunday: Sandwiches