A Taste Of Home

 

    "If God had intended us to follow recipes,
He wouldn't have given us grandmothers."
~Linda Henley

     During my husbands second deployment, I had decided that I wanted to learn how to cook (and cook well).  So I figured I would look into local cooking classes.  When I expressed this to B, his comment (in a loving way) was, "That would be a waste of food."  After a good laugh, I thought maybe I would put cooking on hold, at least until he returned home from his deployment. 
     Once he returned home, I went out and bought the 3 Books in 1 Rival Crock Pot Cook Book.  If I can't put the effort into a Crock Pot meal, then I certainly wouldn't put the effort into actual cooking, right? 
     The first recipe I tried out was "Brownie Bottoms."  It was A-MAZING, but waaaay too rich for me, B, and a few of my FT WW Spouse friends.  Although, it did give me an "ah ha" moment in realizing that maybe all I needed were a few lessons, and I might actually become a successful, cooking wife!  So I perused through the cook book to find a harder recipe to try out.  Dinner.
     Although I desperately wanted to try out the "Fall-Off-The-Bone BBQ Ribs," it wasn't an option considering the recipe requires one to grill the meat before putting it in the Crock Pot.  (Our apartment complex in Alaska wouldn't allow the tenants to have grills at all.)  So instead I tried out the "Ropa Vieja" recipe.  Thankfully my dear friend Mrs. K went to the grocery store with me, or I might have been looking for a flank steak far into the night!
     Even though I was quite pleased with my creation, B wasn't exactly wow-ed.  He said it was good, but he would have liked it better had I made it into more of a stew-type meal.  Although, I do agree that adding some carrots, celery, and onions would probably have added to the yum factor.  After that, B went back to doing the majority of the cooking.

     But here I am, six months later, and ready to try again!  Limiting my options to just Crock Pot meals was probably not the best idea, so I bought another cook book, "Taste Of Home casseroles slow cooker & soups".  I am really excited about it!  My goal is to keep up on trying out new recipes, perfecting a few, and wow-ing my hubby when he gets home from school!  I know it's a tall order for such a short attention span, but I am motivated and enthusiastic!  Luckily for B, he won't be home for my trials and errors, but unfortunately for my daughter, she will be.  
     Well, that's all for now.  This won't be turning into a "Julie and Julia" type of a blog, so I hope I didn't get your hopes up.  But don't worry, I will let you know how some of them turn out! ;)

     Did I mention that his grandmother is (argueably) one of the best cooks in NC?  Yeah, I have some big shoes to fill!

     Thanks for listening!

Carolina North.

"There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't, and that's a wife who can't cook and will."
~Robert Frost