So I am going admit one of my imperfections. It may not be a big deal but I am not the best cook. I was vegetarian and then vegan for most my life before I met my husband and in 7 years of being together I stopped being vegan and just ate anything my hubby would cook. He is a mans man, so when he cooks he like steak and potatoes, or chicken and rice and veggies. Both are very good meals and as long as I eat smaller portions of those meals I am okay, but because I grew up on smoothies and salads and pasta and sweet tooth's that's really all I know how to make.
Before I met my husband I had never even cooked a chicken breast or even touched meat before. This one time, my Brian (my hubby) asked me to cook this chicken in a crock pot for him and he even emailed me directions. I did everything the directions said and I was so proud but when he came home that night he couldn't help but laugh when he cut into the delicious looking chicken. Turned out I didn't know you had to take the guts out of the chicken first. He was rolling on the floor laughing.
Little stories like this have popped up over the years because I just never experiences much cooking. Baking, yes. My mother baked bread, and cookies and all kinds of baked goods but baking with pans and ovens and skillets and sauces and marinates are so foreign to me.
The thing is, that I want to me the mom that knows how to cook. I want to have dinner ready to serve at 6:00pm every night. I want hardy and healthy meal and I want to be able to say, "Finish your vegetables children or no dessert". I want my husband to look forward to dinner meals and I want him to be proud of how far I have come in the kitchen.
So, a few weeks ago I started cooking some of the dishes I know how to make like crock pots of chili which I made a ton and froze a bunch for easy dinners. I even have corn bread mixes ready for chili nights. I have been scouring Pinterests food and drink section and Foodgawkers app. I have been looking on facebook for successful dinners other moms post and asking my mother for all her recipes I loved as a kid.
I even have been making myself touch and cook with chicken and other meats to make sure that I get use to handing all types of food and now that I have been cooking dinner most every night I am so much happier with myself. I feel like I have accomplished something my husband has been secretly wishing I was better at. Who new that my kids ratatouille movie would motivate me to try cooking in the kitchen. "Any one can cook" right? Why not me? Now, if I could only have a little "helper" that hides in a chef's hat who could tell me what the hell to do in a kitchen...
Since finding delicious recipes for every night dinner type foods I started getting ambitious and found some amazing looking fall recipes I plan on trying in the next few weeks.
Do you have any recipes you would like to share or love to cook for your family?
Ok I have a recipe that I came up with (I'm like your husband I never use cool books I just cook) this is so yummy!!! Take 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts and cover with seasoning salt cook on medium high heat in butter or whatever oil you like and cook till almost done so a tiny bit raw in the middle. Keep te drippings in the pan and add 3 tbls butter and the same of flour to make a thickener then add about two cups chicken stock and one cup heavy cream. Meanwhile sauté in another pan ur fb veggies I love doing broccoli peppers cut up potatoes mushrooms and onions but whatever you have on hand. Then cu your chicken up fine and put it in a bakin pan 13x9 then put veggies ontop of chicken then your sauce make sure it's nice and thick! Then add some shredded cheese on top Parmesan is lovely but whatever works ten broil in the oven for about 15 minutes till the top is nice and brown! DELISH!! I make a lot then portion out some for kory so he can take for lunch at work and he just loves it!
ReplyDeleteOMG that sounds delicious! I am so going to try that! Thank you for the recipe! I love hearing ones from real people.
DeleteOMGOSH Mandi! another fabulous recipe I just did that your husband should love (this is if you guys like indian food) ok so put some butter in a frying pan put in one cup of rice (I use a brown rice medley) fry this till rice gets nice and brown you want to smell it but not burn it so don't cook too high. Then transfer everything to a crock pot and add some more butter or oil. Put in like 4 cups of chicken stock and turn crock pot on high if starting in the afternoon or on low if you start it in the morning. brown 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts coated in some salt and pepper so just barely cook the outside. Then add these to your crock pot on top of rice. Add like 1 TBLSPOON of seasoning salt. Cook and cook and cook. Then like about 1-2 hours before you eat stir in some TIKKI MARSALA sauce (1 packet from whole foods does the trick) then cook some more. The chicken should shred up really nice. SOOOOO Yummy and fool proff really. You dont even have to brown rice or chicken you can just throw it all together in crock pot. I do the browning to add some flavor.
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