I'm thinking about trying the cook for a week in a day concept. But then I just get stressed! I have a difficult time thinking about one meal in a day, can you imagine 14? I'm here all day with two young children, so I serve 3 meals a day plus snacks. Breakfast is usually fairly simple, and pancakes or French toast can be frozen and scrambled eggs take very little to prepare and cook, so lunch and supper would need to be prepared. Ugh! I don't think I'll start just yet! Maybe I can do just supper to start with!

Success!

I actually made something kinda yummy--oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. At least my two year old likes them. I had to move them out of his reach. I'm baking some chicken drumsticks with bbq sauce, canned greens (Glory brand already seasoned) and butter beans with plenty of margarine. Last night's supper was a great success as well. My husband surprised me and came home early to cook for us. He rarely has a bad experience cooking. He also decorates. And cleans my floors! I hope someday to be as good a housewife as he is! :)

I made some Boston baked beans the other day or so. We didn't eat them. It wasn't so much that they didn't taste good, but I didn't have any salt pork or bacon or smoked turkey to add to them. The first bite tasted just like the beans from a can. I was impressed! Then it turned into a bitter aftertaste. I didn't even bother feeding them to my family. Tonight wasn't so bad, though. I made turkey burgers smothered in a mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes (instant, of course) and cream style corn. The gravy was good, just a little too much sodium. It's my husband's favorite gravy for beef. I used a can of cream of mushroom soup, half a package of dry onion soup, and about a can of water and milk to thin it out. The burgers were good. I hate to brag too much about my cookingskills, since they are somewhat few, but I make good turkey burgers. They are always flavorful and juicy. Not much to say about the potatoes and corn, but it is yummy with the corn on the potatoes.

I love Friday! For supper, Joe has been taking us out to eat. Lately we've been going to Hibachi Grill. We also used some gift cards Saturday and went to Olive Garden. I have never had a bad experience there and yesterday was no exception. The Lasagna Fritta appetizer was delicious and the Smoked Mozzarella Chicken was so yummy! I wish I could cook like that! So now it's back to meal prep at home. I made a great standby for lunch-mac and cheese with hot dogs-and it was not so good. I usually time the pasta, but forgot to, and they were slightly under cooked. Add to that a missing ingredient, namely, butter, and I could have enjoyed my day not eating it. I wonder how supper will turn out...

The Dreaded C-Word

When we heard my husband got a promotion and was switching to a day shift, we were ecstatic! But then reality hit me: I had to cook. If you haven't guessed already, that is the dreaded c-word. Cooking is okay if someone else does it, but I don't like trying to please other's taste buds. I know what I like and I know my husband does not like the same things. He likes steak; I like grilled chicken sandwiches with lots of veggies. We also have two young children to feed. That is difficult by itself. So here goes my attempts at cooking. Today the two year old asked for pasta. I have Creamette quick cook rotini and some leftover chicken and corn. I put it all together with a rosemary garlic dressing. I think it's a vinaigrette. Thankfully, he liked it, but it was a little bland. I couldn't get the oil to mix with the vinegar and water, so the rosemary didn't come out of the dressing bottle. Yes, I made it myself with a premixed seasoning blend. Then, it all stuck to the pan while I tried to get the herbs out of the bottle and my spoon got stuck. Oh, to be a good cook and know what I'm doing!

Since I have children and a husband, I have cooked many meals since my last post. Most are of the same variety: pasta with meat and veggies. I also have made baked chicken thighs with Zatarain's Creole seasoning on the skins. This is the adults' favorite because the skins came out crunchy. I make it with sides like green beans cooked in butter and Goya Complete Seasoning, or cream style corn, and instant mashed potatoes. We also have tried Velveeta's Cheesy Skillets, both the Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac and the Chicken and Broccoli. My husband and the boys loved them, but I didn't like them quite as much. I served them with a veggie. Tonight, I have Boston baked beans in the slow cooker, made from a recipe I found online. I didn't have the cloves or salt pork or bacon, so I probably shouldn't have bothered attempting to make these for the first time in my life, but I did add some coarse ground sea salt in the bottom to help with the missing sodium. Thank goodness we're eating out tonight!