The Not So Joy Of Cooking #MondayMusings
Cooking Is Not My Friend
Last night I went to bed thinking about the one household chore I hate. COOKING! The thought of such a necessary task keeps me up at night. Growing up I was not summoned to the kitchen to watch my mother prepare meals. Perhaps, that was the start of the end of my cooking journey. My mother is a wonderful cook, she just wasn’t a patient teacher. PLEASE, teach your kids the art of cooking as soon as they can walk. Their future spouses will appreciate you.
Preparing a nice home cooked meal did not give me a direct route to my husband’s heart. Not for one second. In fact, when I look back over our family life, I’m not sure how we survived. I vaguely remember lots of spaghetti, broiled steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers. Beyond that was a crap shoot. This scenario proves that love is truly blind and hungry.
The reality is that if I could hire a chef, I would. I’ve tried many things over the years but I’m still hittin' and missin' in the kitchen. The worse is that I’m not a good recipe cook either. Admitting it is the first step to recovery. Recently I subscribed to Home Chef. Yes, it’s one of many online food delivery services on the market. Something similar to Plated, and Blue Apron. Same concept. They deliver fresh, uncooked food to your door with a recipe and just the right amount of food for two servings. Meals in 30 minutes. It was great UNTIL they got too fancy. If your family members are picky eaters and prefer simply stated meals, you might be in trouble. Home Chef got FIRED.
Last month I purchased a fast slow cooker. In other words a pressure cooker and slow cooker all-in-one. It’s a Breville, the best in it’s category. I swear it’s like a miracle; a dream come true; a way out of nowhere. I’ve cooked dry beans in one hour; a pot roast in 55 minutes with gravy and all; and prepared a whole chicken in the pressure cooker turned slow cooker. Go get you one!
A note about the pressure cooking aspect. Once upon a time you could actually be killed by one of these cooking devices. If you should buy one, you will have flashbacks or thoughts of heads being blown off. Have no fear, the new and improved pressure cookers are all electric and are much safer. Remember though, when you hear the whistle of the automatic pressure release valve, RELAX and breathe, you’ll come out alive.
I'm loving sites like Tasty andDelish. They sport videos on recipes and how they are prepared. I learn best by seeing. Success! Now that my husband and I are empty nesting, when it comes to meals, I just wing it and pray we make it through to Wednesday. Thursday - Saturday we eat very well at local restaurants. I have no regrets.
SO, what keeps you up at night?
photo credit: Sunday Morning via photopin (license) 