A Dish for the Hubs

Being someone who loves to bake, and always have, it's a bit of a downer to be married to a man  who hates sweets for the most part with the exception of cheesecake and coffeecakes. Neither of which I am a huge fan of making. Fortunately for me, he is handsome, funny, a great daddy and an awesome husband so it's easy to overlook this one flaw. He had to take a test the other day and I wanted to make him something special for his efforts. I remembered I had some blueberries in the freezer he picked for me last year that ended up in the freezer because I couldn't eat that many blueberries, which made him a touch frustrated to say the least. So, with that I decided I would make a dessert he was sure to love: Blueberry Crumb Cake from Barefoot Contessa. It turned out delicious, and he was over the moon that I made a dish specifically for him that I knew he would just love! His review was of course a good one telling me I could make this dish whenever I wanted! Epic Win: Happy Husband equals a Happy Wife. Love you monkey!!
Here is the recipe Courtesy of FoodNetwork.com 
LINK

Photo: Blueberry Crumb Cake Recipe

Blueberry Crumb Cake2006, Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

For the streusel:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,
crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

©Television Food Network G.P.
All Rights Reserved.

Dicks Pick: A True Masterchef Challenge

Wow! What a night! I got to compete in a Masterchef Challenge!!! Ok, well not really, but sorta. So here's what went down. On Tuesday afternoon, it was a beautiful day. I took some blankets outside and sat down with little Miss Molly outside so she could play. We were blowing these bubbles, well I was blowing them, Molly was eating them, and just enjoying the beautiful weather. As she began running around the yard playing with ball, I was contemplating what I should make for that day's cooking class. I wasn't really coming up with much because I had planned on making some of that Mama Charlie's Italian Beef, which a monkey could prepare with its eyes closed. I sorta figured I would just take the day off. Hey, I got nothing but time to get the hang of this cooking thing! Then, like a bolt of lightening from the sky, it came to me...Rosemary Grape Chicken! Ok, so it wasn't like lightening, but it gave me a jolt as my phone vibrated on my lap...it was Richard! With his "Dick's Pick of the Week," which of course he found on Stumbleupon. He must have read my other blog about always sending me the sweet stuff because this dish, oddly enough, was from a healthy cooking article...perhaps I should be insulted? Maybe I am just feeling a little crazy as it just so happened I had to go to the doctor that day to get my cerclage all checked out, only to discover I had gained 4 pounds since my last visit...the week before...sigh...and they always try to make you not feel bad about it by saying "honey you're pregnant you're going to gain weight," yea but not as much as fat kid on a weekend getaway to chocoworld. I mean c'mon 4lbs in a week! That seems excessive, and of course it didn't go to my belly...if you know me, you know exactly where it went!!! oops, oh sorry guys...not a blog about my weight is it?? hmmm, awkward. Ok, anyway...moving right along...

So, healthy chicken dish! Alright Dickie I can do this. So, being the awesome daughter-in-law that I am I around 1:30 pm say "well, if you guys aren't doing anything why don't you come over for dinner?" I text this to both my inlaws....Moma Mary says she'll let us know. Well, 2:30 comes, nothing, 3:30 nothing, 4:30 nothing...so now it's 5pm and I decide "ok, I am just gonna make the lazy dinner I originally planned on Italian beef out of a plastic container." Woohoo, go me and my mad ninja-like cooking skills. I begin chopping up the peppers to put in with the meat, then from out of the blue, another bolt of lightening!!! Ok, again just a text but that has no literal ambiance. It was Moma Mary saying "Ok, we'll come over." Me: "SHIT!" I tell the hubs they are coming over and that we are short about 1/2 of the ingredients...so a trip into Hell is in order. Well, the grocery store, but this time I literally mean Hell. In our town, the summer is a tourist cesspool of Chicagoans who come in and take over the town with complete disregard to the laid back nature that is our town. They swarm the grocery stores and shops leaving their carts in the middle of every damn aisle so no one can get through, and steel the parking spots we have clearly been waiting for with our blinker on for 5 minutes. Ok, Amy breathe...in and out in and out. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10...ok there all better. 

Ok, got the ingredients and it's now 6pm. Let's get this road on the show! First and foremost, I ask myself "what's for dessert?" I know! A Triple Berry Pie with homemade crust, so what if I've never made a crust or a fruit pie before, how hard can it be!? And so, I begin. My husband begins checking out the recipe for the chicken and says "Amy, you gotta get a move on...this chicken is gonna take awhile." Me: "Well, I figure we can work it out together. Why don't you start chopping." So he does and about half a dozen times he tells me "we aren't gonna eat until midnight!" I on the other hand am much more laid back reassuring him it will all work out. He starts the grill, I begin the steps to the glaze for the chicken and it hits me like a ton of bricks: "we AREN'T going to eat until midnight if we follow the steps exactly. It is at this moment that I tell myself time to Masterchef the Shit out of this meal. I got the pie in the oven, the glaze on the stove, I tell Nathan we are gonna speed this up. Medium heat was increased to High, Corn was thrown on the grill, Chicken was seasoned with some salt, pepper and rosemary, and as ashamed as I am to admit this, Rice-a-Roni was on the stovetop. I am a cooking machine. I am tasting the sauce, checking the pie, calling on the hubs to throw the chicken on the grill and I'll bring the glaze...truly an Executive Chef in the making. Until my husband pulls me back to reality pointing out that we should not put the chicken on until the glaze is done...he's the true chef in our family so I hurry up and finish the glaze...tada the stove timer goes off..."perfect I think, now the pie can cool while we eat." Well, it clearly wasn't done so I go back to the cookbook and realize I got ahead of myself...I was supposed to cover the edges in foil for 25 minutes then remove foil and bake 25 more minutes. I thought for sure the pie was doomed, but what was I going to do at this point? So I turned the timer back to 25 minutes and hoped for the best.

Now, back to the chicken...it's on the grill, the glaze is delicious, the corn is on the grill, and the hubs has taken over from here. I like my eyebrows too much to mess with a grill. I can barely handle the stove at this point in my cooking journey, it's best I stay away from the open flame of a Weber Grill. So, this challenge was a partnered one, and I must say it was awesome to cook with my husband as his equal not as his incompetent wife who was just in charge of opening a jar of salsa and a bag of chips for an appetizer. I think we have found an after work activity that keeps us on our toes as opposed to on our asses in front of the boob tube. After about 25 minutes everything was done, I grabbed a couple of plates for the hubs to put the food on, and we were ready to eat...or so I thought. Everyone just sat there...I said "haven't we waited enough?" And they all agreed the food needed a nap or something, I dunno, so we let it rest per their suggestion, and about 5-10 minutes later, we dug in. It was delightful! The char of the glaze on the chicken was great! Our only complaint was that the flavor didn't reach the meat just the skin. So I think next time, I will marinate the chicken in the glaze for at the very least a few hours. 

And as for the potential disaster with the pie? It turned out beautifully! I will always take the tip I learned from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook to baste with a little milk and sprinkle with sugar to prevent burning, because I believe this to be the only saving grace for missing the aluminum foil directions!  Obviously I need some better techniques when it comes to making the top aesthetically appealing, but the taste was great! And there you have it a beautifully executed Masterchef Challenge. So what did Dick have to say???? Well....




On this evening I had two opinions to use for "Dick's Picks." Obviously, Dick, but also his lovely wife and my beautiful mother-in-law, Moma Mary...I was very nervous to hear her opinion because she is such a good cook herself, but fortunately for me and my newly cooking self-confidence, they both loved it. Even the pie! Best compliment of the night was from Dick, which was something like "this is really good, I think you might have something here." They were both really impressed with the pie skills seeing as I have never made a pie like that before. Got a huge confidence boost from Moma Mary who proclaimed that even she can't make pie crust. Who knows, maybe my purpose on this planet is to bring people happiness through their palettes? I get a huge sense of enjoyment from cooking so if they say to do what you love, maybe a career in cooking is in my future...so much for going to law school! At least I didn't waste 5 full years of my life there, and quit when I realized how much I actually hated it. So, moral of this story..."do what you love, and cook something new, you might surprise yourself with skills you didn't know you may have had!"


Much Love and Happy Cooking Friends,
 Amelia


Recipe Links: I will post the pie separately because I kind of had to make it up, so I'll type that one out.
Chicken:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/9jW7Je/www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/scb-entrees-00400000028109/

 

Dick's Pick of the Week

First off, who the Hell is Dick, right? Well, remember in my other blog where I spoke about the local food critic, my father-in-law? Well, again he is no food critic, but he definitely has a tongue and an opinion he willingly shares. In fact, I guess you can say he is the one who sort of inspired me to get cooking. He is a huge fan of stumbleupon.com and he was always sending me these links with various recipes...always desserts mind you. Why desserts? Well, I think it's because he is convinced I am addicted to sweets due to the fact that during my first pregnancy I wanted sweets all the time, and I mean ALLLL the time. He does not believe me for one second when I tell him that I never really had much of a sweet tooth. In fact, after dinners, I used to crave something salty. That did change somewhat when I was dating my high school sweetheart because that man had to have something sweet after every meal. I mean, we could have had waffles caked in syrup, whipped cream, chocolate and M&M's and after we were done he would ask "so what's for dessert?" Fortunately I was too young to drink at that point because I am pretty sure between the calories from booze and the calories from all the desserts, my life would have had a whole different outcome. A life filled of blogging with my 100 cats surrounding me in my one bedroom apartment as I stuffed my face with bon bons watching "The Facts of Life" reruns...Wow, that was a weird tangent. Guess I am a little ADD this morning. I am starting to go a little stir crazy over here, I mean it's not even 9 am and my daughter is already in need of her "Up" fix for the day. I have this movie memorized and I am so tired of Mr. Frederickson I could just scream!! Ah well, it gives me time to blog and explain what "Dick's Pick of the Week" is. 

So, here it is...

Why Dick? Well not too many people refer to my father-in-law as "Dick" in fact the only person I know who calls him that is in fact his mother! The reason? Likely because he has renounced the Catholic Faith and he is a Liberal...that's like a double Whammy! I guess some might argue that she calls him this term of endearment because she gave him the same name as his father and as it turns out, Dick is short for that name...Richard. I like my analysis better, but truth be told she loves her only baby boy Dickie! Focus Amy! Jeeze, sorry readers!! So why not "Richard's Pick of the Week"? Well, that doesn't have the same ring to it, now does it? So the current title sticks and basically it is his task to send me one thing per week to make. Whether it's a dessert, appetizer, side dish, main course whatever...I will attempt to make it! He will eat it and I will report back with the results and experience here. So there you have it, Dick's Pick of the Week has officially begun with "Best Ever Chocolate Cake." But Because this blog already feels lengthy, I will report the weekend's pick in another blog! So peace out for now my friends of cookery!

Much Love and Happy Cooking,

Amelia

Dick's Pick of the Week: Best Ever Chocolate Cake

Ok, first and foremost, now that we all know who Dick is, I want to relay the results about the Coconut Cream Pie: He loved it! I was surprised to hear that because he ate it about 5 days after I made it. I was sure it was going to be awful. He said the merengue was spot on not only because it was delicious but because after 5 days it was still as firm as day 1. So, there you have it. CCP was a success! If any of you all try out the recipe report back with your comments or questions!

Now, onto the Chocolate Cake experience:
When I decided to make this cake, I thought I had all of the ingredients...turns out I had only the basics: flour, sugar, oil...I needed most of the cocoa ingredients, which of course are the most expensive. A trip to the store and $16 dollars later I was ready to begin the baking. I will say, it was worth every penny, however I was almost pissed that I had to fork out so much dough to make something that could have been the most disgusting cake ever, but my desire to meet Gordon reminded me that I needed to do this as it would bring me one step closer to meeting the man I dream of...no literally, I dream of him. Pregnancy dreams are weird too, I mean when I first met him we weren't even doing any cooking. We were like skipping bottle caps off the banks of the Mississippi. Anyway, back to the blog. Man, I am feeling so distracted today.

Alright, alright. So I got all my ingredients out, including the ones that broke the bank, and started cooking! Oh wait! Before I could do anything, I had to put on an apron...turns out the only apron I had was a Christmas themed one my mom made me take from her. No, it wasn't some family passed down apron that had any special meaning or anything. My mom is not a cook remember!? Instead it was one she had to buy for a play last year...a Christmas play. She was suzy-homemaker in the play though and she put on a stellar performance! Bravo Mom, Bravo! As far as the apron goes, I didn't care what was on it, I actually needed it for its true functional purpose, to protect the pretty dress I was wearing! However, on this particular June day, it served two purposes because I tell you what, putting that apron on brought out the Gordon Ramsay in me for real, British accent and all. In fact, it gave me such a confidence boost that for the first time ever, I actually trusted my memory as I added ingredients rather than being my usual frantic self that checks the recipe every time before adding any new ingredient. Seriously, it's like I become OCD when I cook, but the apron acted as my xanax and helped me stay cool as a cucumber. Thanks mom for the hokey Christmas apron! Now back to the good stuff...

I made the frosting first, it wasn't too difficult, but I was pretty sure I did something wrong because it was so runny. I thought "how on Earth is this going to frost a cake...maybe they should have called it a glaze!" But despite my qualms I carried on, and started the cake. It seemed like quite a few ingredients but putting it all together was fairly simple. I didn't have to separate eggs or sift flour, I was able to just put the ingredients in as they came. The final ingredient, however, was boiling water, which I knew would make the batter extra soupy...but the recipe forewarned me that this would be the case, so I did not freak out as I normally would have if the recipe hadn't told me that. I divided it into two pans, put it in the oven and walked away feeling confident this cake was going to turn out.

30 minutes later, I returned to the oven to two beautifully cooked cakes:

 Aren't they pretty!? I let them cool 5 minutes in the pan then turned them out onto a cooling rack...well I actually put them on towels until my husband looked at me like I was from Mars. I didn't see the big deal, but he was insistent that they would not cool properly so he got out a cooling rack and moved them. He is lucky he didn't damage them because his head would have ended up in the oven! Pregnant, remember? I am not rational.




So I waited for what seemed like a million years for these cakes to cool. I kept checking them like a kid on Christmas shaking his presents to figure out what was in em. About 35 minutes later they were ready! Yay!! Excitement filled my entire body, until I realized my frosting was still quite thin. I threw it in the freezer for about 10 minutes which definitely helped it thicken a bit quicker. If I were to do this recipe again, I would definitely put the frosting in the fridge to cool even though the recipe doesn't say to do that. Save yourself the trouble if you make this and put it in the fridge, unless of course you have all day to wait. Here is what it looked like immediately after making it:

I will say it was quite delicious and I have evidence to prove it! See Ms Molly's face below.



After I finally got the frosting to the consistency I was looking for, I used the tips in the recipe to frost the cake and it turned out far better than I could have imagined. The recipe suggested warming the knife in water before and during frosting to get that shiny finish, and much to my surprise it did that and made frosting the cake a breeze! So that little gem of information will stay with me forever. The end product was a beautiful, 2-layer chocolate cake. Now, pretty only counts for so much, the taste? Well, if I had written this blog the day I made it, I would have told you it was bitter and rich and just ok, but I am writing this two days later....so I will boast it's delicious flavor and melt in your mouth moistness...truly the best chocolate cake ever! The second day the cake took on an entirely different flavor, and I ate 3 pieces. Hey lay off, I am pregnant remember!? Even Dick enjoyed it sending me a text message last night that said "you're on a roll, the choc cake was great!" And it was, if I do say so myself!


The moral of this story is "if you make it today, serve it tomorrow!" Here's the link kiddos http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Best-Ever-Chocolate-Cake

A Short Week of Cooking

By now, you all know that I am attempting to cook...well, learn to cook anyway. Because I just decided to do this a few days ago, I have not officially started cooking. I have made a few things and I will tell you about those experiences now.

Let's start with the good:
This week my first attempt at cooking involved a pie that I have been trying to master, Hell not even master but just make taste good, for over 5 years now. My arch nemesis pie is none other than Coconut Cream Pie. I have tried umpteen times to make this pie. The crust always turns out, mostly because it is store bought, but next week I plan on making my own crust. The filling delightful...my downfall? The effin merengue! I can never seem to get this right, and it always seems like I made an egg white quiche to go on top of my pie. So, every time I end up throwing away a perfectly good crust and filling because the top makes the entire thing taste like egg. Well, my friends of cookery, I made one this week that was amazing! I browned the merengue a little too long, but it tasted like merengue! And it fluffed up beautifully. I was on Cloud 9 to say the least. I was ubber pissed at the hubs for not trying it though. He tried all the other ones so I was like WTF!? I did send some to the father-in-law so we shall see what he thinks. He's a really fancy food critic in our area. One of the best around. Ok, well not really but he has a tongue and an opinion so I should know soon if it was in fact a delight or a disaster. I'll keep you posted.

I also made a Mexican Cornbread this week...it was good, but I really don't have any fun or exciting stories about it. Oh, except the fact that I gave a piece to my 21 month old daughter thinking it wasn't spicy...umm, yea I was wrong and she looked at me like "Son of Bitch Mom!!!!" I know it was spicy to normal palettes because the hubs who loves all things spicy even had a tough time with its bite. So Dearest Molly, my sincere apologies. Good thing I gave her milk to drink!





 Mexican Cornbread





Now, for the bad:
Nathan asked me to make the corned beef the other night. It was an epic fail, but I don't blame myself. The flavor was good...I mean, all I had to do was throw it in the crokpot with some onions and carrots. The problem...a meijer brand product! The meat was so tough and chewy. Again, good flavor just horrible quality! I am off to plan the menu for next week and will keep you posted as the successes or epic failures that ensue. I am making a chocolate cake today! Yum! Are you getting the vibe that I like sweets and baking over actual cooking? Perhaps I should go on Cupcake Wars instead? Just a thought...oh and below you will find my delicious recipe for Coconut Cream Pie...just the filling and merengue, you're on your own for the crust.
Well, much love and happy cooking
Amelia

Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients:
Pie Filling:
3/4 Sugar
3 TBLS Corn Starch
2 Cup Whole Milk
3 EggYolks (Save Whites!)
1 Tbls Coconut Extract
1/2 Cup Flaked Coconut
1 TBLS Butter


Merengue:
3 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp cream de tartar
6TBLS Sugar
Directions:
preheat oven to 350
Mix sugar and corn starch in a pot. Add Milk and Egg yolks, mix together and put on heat. Medium heat works best, but if you're in a hurry you can put it on high just do not stop stirring. Cook til thickens. Take off heat and add remaining ingredients. Put in pre-baked pie crust.


For Merengue, beat first 3 ingredients until soft peaks form. Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook will tell you this only takes a minute...they are liars! Your merengue should look like this before you add sugar. Once it looks like that begin adding tablespoons of sugar one at a time. Beat merengue until stiff white peaks appear. Add it to the top of your pie, sprinkle with additional coconut and bake at 350 until merengue begins to brown. Eat and enjoy!



1/2

Why I am Not Usually Allowed in the Kitchen Alone

The running joke in our house is that I am not allowed in the kitchen by myself. This golden rule came from the tragic incident that occurred about 3 years ago when I tried being Suzy Homemaker to my then fiance. It all started while I was visiting my dad. He was making deer steaks with onions and a BBQ sauce, the whole house smelled incredible! He insisted that I take some home to cook for my man despite the fact I told him several times about my lack of cooking skills. He assured me it was super easy and even I could handle it. So, I took home a few deer steaks, gave myself a pep talk, and let the cooking begin. I even had a glass of wine out and a candle lit to set the mood of my new found desire for cooking.

I threw the steaks in the skillet, and immediately felt this sense of domesticity. I was convinced my new calling in life was to be a domestic goddess. I felt so confident in my new cooking skills that  I felt comfortable enough to even have some music playing in the background. About 30 minutes went by, yes I said 30, and I decided to throw in the onions, it began to smell delicious. After about 25 more minute...again, yes, 25...jeeze, I threw on the BBQ sauce. The fiance still wasn't home so I thought I'll just let this simmer...and simmer...and simmer. I began to feel very anxious, and called daddy. "Hey dad, so how long you supposed to cook these things for?" Dad: "oh, I don't know 20-25 minutes." Me: "SHIT! I gotta go" That feeling of confidence and laid back ease combined with drinking wine was thrown out the window and replaced with shear panic and pepto bismal to settle my now extremely nauseated stomach.

So I grabbed a knife and cut into the steaks...I used a lot of muscle power to cut through them...and in case you're wondering, yes...I did in fact take a knife to the steaks in the skillet. I have not admitted to ruining the pan until this very day. It was a non-stick and after my then fiance washed it, he was pissed to say the least. I have denied taking a knife to the pan to this day, but as they say, the truth will set you free...so Nathan, my love, it was I who ruined the pan. Thank God it wasn't an all-clad though, right? Honey? Babe??? Just remember, I love you, and I am the mother of your children...and you love me too....right, right???


So as you can imagine, we ordered pizza that night and I was officially banned from the kitchen. Some seem to think I was smart and did this on purpose to ensure I would never have to be responsible for figuring out what was for dinner...and for awhile, Ok, like 3 years, this was kind of a relief, but the fact of the matter is I want to be domestic.I want my husband to brag about the delicious meal his wife whipped up the other night. I want my kids to learn to cook and enjoy family meals at the dining room table not in the car on the way to wherever. I want that life. I watch my mother-in-law and my husband work all day and come home and make something delicious for dinner that doesn't come out of a box, and I wonder how they do it, but I think for them it's a stress reliever...and I could definitely use one of those in my life. So I begged my husband and got the release to be allowed to cook again...all by myself! yay! However, after my first attempt, which I will blog about later, the ban may be reinstated. :-/ We shall see! Well that's all for now people!


Much love and Happy cooking my friends,
Amelia

A voyage to MasterChef

I have never been much of a chef, but that's about to change. Our story begins with memories of visiting my cousin Kelly when I was a little girl...Her mom was the creative stay-at-home mom who could easily whip up a 5 course meal on any given day for any given reason.Kelly was always getting things like cookbooks for presents, and I would be excited to go over there to help make something out of her cookbooks. She was much better and much more patient than me when it came to cooking. For example, when we would make boxed cake she would insist that all the batter be scraped out of the bowl and put in the baking dish, where I was all about leaving as much as possible to eat the delicious batter with a spoon! I am currently salivating at the mere thought of eating some delicious cake batter, however, people seem to frown upon eating raw eggs these days...especially when one is pregnant, therefore I will continue to blog until later when I devour the delicious coconut cream pie I made last night. Ok, back to the story...

My mom, on the other hand, was the full time job mom who was constantly running her athletic and musically inclined children to and from every sport or musical instrument practice under the sun.To this day I do not know how she managed to work a very physical job all day long and still have the energy to cheer us on and run us all over. Thanks mom for all you did, by the way! Because of our hectic schedule, however, dinners growing up for me always came with the question "do you want fries with that?" or "How many in your party this evening?" And while that was awesome for me as a kid because I loved fast food and sitting down to a meal where someone catered to my every desire, it led me to an adulthood filled with the belief that if it didn't come from a restaurant of some sort it must be contaminated.It's not that I didn't try...I mean I would go to Wally World and spend upwards of $300 for groceries for just myself! I would try to make something at home, but every time I would put my creation to my mouth and taste, I would instantly throw up...ok, well maybe that's a bit of exaggeration, but I certainly didn't eat it...but instead would run out and get carry out. This was hard on both my wallet and my waistline. Shortly after college, I started putting on the pounds from lack of cooking skills and lack of the same sort of physical activities I used to be involved in...volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, gymnastics...etc. I was smart enough to marry a man that cooks, but we have quickly adopted that hectic schedule I was accustomed to growing up...between our work schedules, 2 year old, and our love and devotion to performing in community theatre, we have become a modern on-the-go family resorting back to that lifestyle of dining out more often than dining in...again not good for our wallets or our health as we are over and near 30. It's time to start knowing what we're putting in our bodies and where the food came from!

Now, getting back to my cousin Kelly. She is quickly turning into the creative stay at home mom her mom was which makes me jealous for 2 reasons. First, I desire to be able to stay at home with my children, and 2nd because I desire, almost as much, to have to ability to cook and actually have people enjoy it without vomiting upon tasting. This along with my husband's nagging he wishes he had a domestic wife, has inspired me to learn how to cook.Oh yea, and because of my strangely unhealthy desire to be on Gordon Ramsay's Masterchef!!

As far as learning how to cook here is my plan....Because law school already put a huge dent in our future wealth, I have decided to forgo the fancy cooking school and learn to cook the old fashioned way...by trial and error...oh and having Kelly, the Hubs, the Mother-in-law, the Aunt and whoever else is willing teach me a thing or two! I am super excited to learn and possibly more excited to blog about it. I will, of course, take pictures and give you honest to goodness feedback on the results! Hopefully you will see me on Masterchef next season!!

Much love and Happy Cooking Friends!
Amelia

By the way....

The reason I have all the time in the world for cooking now? Well, it's a touch tragic...Almost a month a go I was put on modified bedrest by my doctor because my body was going into labor 16 weeks early! I am not allowed to stand for extended periods of time, not allowed to go shopping, not allowed to walk very much, etc etc etc....I am however allowed to sit and have decided that I shall learn to cook while sitting down. Upon learning how to master the basics of cooking, I will audition for Gordon Ramsay's Masterchef. I am super excited about this and will cook a new meal and/or dessert every day and blog about it. I may even take on some of the challenges from the show itself. Like the ravioli challenge! I am stoked to make pasta one day, but I think I need to hone some more basic skills first! We shall see my friends of all things cooking.