Woes of a Half-Hearted Cook

If truth be known, I'd prefer ordering out for dinner every night.  I just don't enjoy cooking.  I tolerate it.  That's not to say that I haven't had some good cooking nights and made some delicious meals.  I have.  The prep and the planning is what gets to me.  And the clean-up.

And then there's nights like this....

A couple days ago I had finished lunch and started baking a loaf of bread in my bread machine.  You can be proud of me because I needed white bread for a recipe on my menu plan later in the week, and making this loaf was putting me ahead of the game. 

It was about 1:00, and the thought of dinner came to mind.  I decided to check my menu plan to see what was on the schedule.  It was a crock pot meal that needed to cook on low about 4 hours.

Seeing how it was 1:00 and we eat at 5:00, I decided I better get the food going in the crock pot.  I threw in the ingredients, mixed them up, added the chicken breast tenders and set the crock pot on low.  Done!  All I needed to do after that was cook up some brown rice to serve it with.

Later at 4:30 I remembered I needed to start my rice on the stove.  I went into the kitchen and lifted the lid on my crock pot because I knew it would probably need a stir. 

Wait a sec!  The chicken was raw.  Really?!?  The chicken was raw?!?  How could that...?  OOOOHH NOOOO!!!

It was at that moment I remembered something.  Shortly after getting my crock pot set up, I decided my cell phone needed to be charged.  I unplugged my can opener, so I could use the outlet for my charger.  Only I didn't unplug the can opener.  I unplugged the crock pot.

Um.  Yeah.  I'm just distracted like that.

So you can see how ordering out for dinner every night would really be to our advantage.  Thank goodness, I was able to whip up a whole other meal that didn't take too much prep.  I can't say I didn't grumble some about having to make TWO dinners in a day, though.

Yeah... I can't say that cooking is really my thing.

  

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Christmas? I Got It Done.

Someone, who shall remain nameless (*cough* Judy *cough*), informed me that she had been looking at the same blog post since December 23rd, and she wondered if I ever got past  "halfway there" to Christmas.  And I wonder how many of you were sitting on pins and needles, waiting to know too.

So I'm happy to report that I did get myself all the way to Christmas, and on time.  The cookies got baked and turned out wonderfully.  They were delicious!  Do you need a picture?  These are the Chocolate Crinkles.

Yes, they tasted as good as they look.

I also got all the presents purchased and wrapped.  The Hoisin wings I cooked in the crockpot got done too, and they were just okay.  I didn't love them enough to make that recipe again, though.

Being on the other side of Christmas feels good.  I've been relaxing a lot and plan to take Thursday and Friday off work this week, too.  I've been reading, which is how I really want to spend my time.  I'm gearing up for a new reading goal in 2010.  Still trying to decide what that will be, but I know I'm going to push myself harder than I did this year.

If you don't hear from me again before midnight tomorrow, have a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Christmas? I'm Halfway There.

I told you yesterday that I would keep you updated on my Christmas preparations.  Well, things are moving along pretty well.

Shopping is 3/4 done.  I went to one superstore yesterday and got most everything I needed.  One more venture out will take care of the rest.

The cookie baking plan is also on target.  I did run into a bit of a roadblock when I tried to make sugar cookies using my unrefined organic whole cane sugar.  Do NOT try this at home.  It is NOT a good substitution.  It will make your sugar cookie dough look brown, and it will definitely NOT smell like sugar cookie dough.  Unfortunately, I had to do the one thing I hate in baking fiascos... throw it away!  Such a waste.

At that point I was about ready to throw in the towel.  Baking is not my forte.  After I settled down and went to read my book for awhile, I calmly decided to run out to the grocery store around the corner and buy more eggs and real sugar.  (I didn't know we were out of sugar because only my husband uses it.) 

You know, I say I hate baking, but I think the key to enjoying it is to have a good, easy recipe.  I didn't just love the recipe I was using out of my cookbook.  I don't think I should have to use my pastry cutter to cut butter into my flour mix for sugar cookies.  I want my stand mixer to do all the work for me.  So I did a search on my favorite recipe website, AllRecipes.com, and I found one for the best rolled sugar cookies.  It turned out to be VERY easy.  Cream the butter and sugar together?  Now that's what I'm talkin about.

After dinner I was able to mix both sugar cookie dough and my chocolate crinkle cookie dough.  Both are chilling in the fridge, ready to be baked this afternoon.  And the really good part is... I actually still feel like mixing up something else. 

See?  It's like I said.  If I have a good recipe that's easy to work with, it makes it more enjoyable for me.

Happy baking to you... and shopping... and wrapping...

Christmas? I'm Not Ready Yet!

I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet.  Can you imagine?  I only have a few people to buy for, so it's not an extremely big deal. 

I also haven't baked anything yet, but I like to do it closer to the time that we'll be eating the goodies.  I'm thinking I might just make two types of cookies.  My family always spends Christmas Eve together, and we have a buffet of finger foods.  With my sister and mom pitching in on the food prep, I only have to bring a few things to share.  I found a wings recipe to make in the crock pot, so I thought I might give it a try as something new this year.

Speaking of recipes... Do you know how I can tell I'm a different woman this year?  I have a cookbook on my Christmas wish list.  Now that's something that's never happened before.  This is the cookbook I found the wings recipe in.  You should check out  *Make It Fast, Cook It Slow.  There's everything from breakfast to dessert in there.  It looks terrific!

*This is an affiliate link.  If you make a purchase through this link, I will earn a small percentage of the sale.

In The Kitchen

What an excellent idea it was to participate in the National Blog Posting Month.  I feel a sense of accomplishment for doing it, and I have a renewed enjoyment in blogging.  I hope to continue writing regularly.

Now... do you know what I did yesterday?  I spent time in my kitchen.  On purpose.  Just because I wanted to.  That just doesn't happen to me, people, so this is a good thing.  I had borrowed a book from the library called Make it Fast, Cook it Slow, which is a very cool book of crockpot recipes.  There seems to be quite a few in it that I would like to try.  Anyway, I thought I might try making one of the recipes today, but unfortunately I ran out of vanilla extract over the weekend, which I need for any of the recipes I intended to make.  Seeing as I still had the notion  in my head to bake something {again, amazing!}, I decided to try another quick bread using my bread machine.

I've been experimenting in my recipes with switching out some of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat instead.  It appears to make the breads darker, and seems to give them a tougher texture.  They still taste good to me, though.  I ended up making Apple Pecan Bread because I had a whole bag of Golden Delicious apples that went unused when I didn't make that homemade pie for Thanksgiving.  What an aroma filled my house while that was baking!  Wonderful. 

I must say, I have felt so much better in the last two weeks.  I don't know where this renewed energy has come from.  Prior to that time, I had been seriously feeling drained all the time.  I hated the way I felt.  All I wanted to do was go to bed when I got home from work, and I only work four hours every morning.  I was afraid to exercise because I knew whatever energy I had left afterward would be zapped for the night.  Well, I don't know what changed, but all of a sudden I can get through my days without dragging.  I'm so thankful that seems to be behind me now.

Maybe I will spend more time whipping things up in the kitchen, since I'm feeling rejuvenated.  Maybe?

*Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office Clip Art

A Thanksgiving Recap

We had a terrific Thanksgiving with my family yesterday.  It included my parents, my grandmother, my sister and brother-in-law, their four kids, my husband, and me.

First, a note to self:  Do not make more than one can of yams.  My sister's family does not eat them, and you will have yam leftovers for a week.

Remember the pie dilemma?  Well, my sister had read my blog the night before, and she razzed me all day about my pie that was not homemade.  I think that at some point in the future I will have to make one again and prove to her that I am capable of making one without Marie Callender's help.  Honestly though, if you're gonna get help from any other pie baker, you might as well use Ms. Callender.  She makes a delicious apple pie.  I'm just sayin'.

After dinner the kids went off to play, and me and my sister went into the living room for our usual post-holiday-meal banter.  She went and found my mom's laptop and pulled up Tim Hawkins' web site.  If you haven't ever seen a Tim Hawkins video, you are missing out.  He is the most hysterical Christian comedian!  Kathy and I laughed so hard, and we would repeat the funny lines at the same time, only to laugh harder.

Awhile later it was time to cut the pies.  The kids all dove into the crustless pumpkin pie that my mom made.  She makes it crustless just for the kids because they always scrape the pumpkin off and leave the crust.  My Marie's apple pie was delicious, especially with the vanilla whipped cream I had whipped up FROM SCRATCH, and so was Mom's lemon meringue.  {I had just a small slice to taste.}  I had forgotten that I really like lemon meringue until I tasted it.

By the time we got home, just before 6:00, I felt like a zombie.  No energy to speak of and pretty much loafed the rest of the night.

Today has been recovery mode for me.  It meant getting on the treadmill this afternoon and watching my calorie intake all day.  Back to reality, I guess.  I know my waistline will thank me later.

Conquering Dinner!

You must see what I made for dinner last night.  Yeah, I know you're probably wondering, What's the big deal about dinner?, but that's probably because you're new around here. 

Everyone knows that Liz does not like cooking meals from scratch, but rather from a box or a bag with all ingredients included.  But things are a-changin' around here.  Remember the vegetable soup?  Well, the cooking continues.

Okay, so back to what I made for dinner last night.  It was pizza.  From scratch.  Made my own sauce with my own spices.  Spread the dough into a circle with my bare hands.    Applied cheese and toppings.  The only thing I didn't do was make the dough myself, although it was made from scratch, too.

Check this out!

It was delicious! 

(We'll have to work on the quality of pepperoni I use in the future.  I'm not happy with the way it discolors the cheese.)

A Cook Is Born

Have I ever mentioned that cooking is not my thing?  It's no wonder that among the many bridal shower gifts I received 13 years ago there was an assortment of cookbooks.  At that point my entire cooking repertoire consisted of heating up soup, making grilled cheese sandwiches, sloppy Joe's, and whipping up a mean Hamburger Helper meal.  As Rich had been a bachelor for a good number of years before I entered his life, he had to help me learn the basics, such as how to tell if meat was cooked to proper temperature.

Even though I've learned a lot since then, I still have to follow recipes to make everything, and I believe those all-inclusive frozen meal kits with the meat and veggies are my favorite way to tackle meal preparation.  Things are changing, though.

Last week I made vegetable soup all by myself. 

No recipe.  No kit.  From scratch.

That isn't to say I didn't have help.  You know my friend, Judy?  She is a cook.  A good one.  She makes a variety of specialties, including omelettes, chicken & dumplings, and her famous pizza.  When I observe her cooking, I get inspired to go home and cook something because she makes it all look so easy.  She is practically calm, cool, and collected whenever she cooks, and would you believe she even has FUN?  This is very foreign to me as I am more the type to stress about what to make, groan, kick the cat, and can't wait for the experience to be over. 

So I bet you're wondering where I got the idea to make vegetable soup.  It happened that we were talking about eating healthier and how eating more vegetables and soup is a good way to fill up on less calories.  It sounded like a pretty good idea to me, so I inquired how one might go about making a vegetable soup... you know... in case a certain girl who hates cooking might just be interested in trying something new.  And easy. 

So she took me into the kitchen right then and there and showed me how to do it.  I learned it was a piece of cake.  (Well, it was actually soup, but that's just the expression.)

Anyways... a cook was born.  I went home and made vegetable soup ALL BY MYSELF.  Would you like to see a picture? 

(Of course, I took a picture!)

 

Campbell's has got nothin' on me!

So Much To Do, So Little Time

I've been feeling so...so...unproductive in my interests and hobbies over the last month. While I'm working at the office, all I can think about is all the stuff I want to do at home. Here is the want-to-do list I've been composing in my mind for weeks:

1. Read - I brought home a Francine Rivers novel and a cat mystery from the library yesterday, and I would love to get them both read in the 3-week alotment that the library provides. Or at least within 6 weeks because they'll let me renew once. I also have plenty of non-fiction biblical books that I need to read, too. That list is too long to mention.


2. Crochet - I'm at the beginning of that one crochet project that shall remain unmentioned, and I also want to make some baby booties and bibs for an upcoming shower. I'm not even sure I can pull that off. It's 3 weeks away. Ugh! Not to mention the afghan I want to make for myself and the one my sister wants and the slippers I'd like to attempt...the list goes on and on here.


3. No-Sew Fleece Throws - I made two of these as Christmas gifts and now I want to make 1 or 2 or 10 more! I got an email from my fabric store today, and fleece is on sale this week. Hmmm...


4. Learn Web Design - Yep, I love all things internet, and I have a fascination with HTML code. I also picked up two web design books at the library and would love to read them from cover to cover. It's my dream to build a website from scratch.


5. Blog - I am addicted to blogging, but I'm not very good at it. I know I probably need to expand my mind and explore my feelings more so I have something interesting to blog about. As it is right now, I often sit down to a blank page and go, well, blank. I'd like to develop my skills in this hobby, so I'm going to keep working on it.


6. Sewing - I used to sew in the first few years of my marriage, but then I stopped. I don't recall why, but I'm sure it was because I started cross-stitching or scrapbooking or surfing the internet, you know, something real important like that. Now I'm starting to feel a tug to get back to it, and I think my first project would be outfits for my nieces. I'm still thinking on this one.


7. Baking - This is somewhat of a misnomer because I would let my bread maker do all the work. Ever since I got the bread maker for Christmas, I've been thinking about the recipes I want to try that came with it: wheat rolls, pizza crust, pretzels, quick breads, etc...

So what is on your want-to-do list that you just can't manage to get to? Leave a comment or a link to your blog with a list. I'd love to know what everyone else is up to.

I'm Totally Domestic

I guess I'm just going to take this blogging thing one day at a time, so on with the post...

I am totally enthralled with my domesticity today. I pulled out my Pillsbury Slow Cooker Recipes: 140 New Ways to Have Dinner Ready and Waiting! cookbook the other day and chose a couple recipes for our meals this week. At this moment I have Vegetable, Bean and Ham Soup slow cooking in my little crock pot. Yes, I do.

I actually did prep work for the recipe last night. LAST NIGHT, PEOPLE! This from the girl who just a few short months ago would buy those completely cooked meals in a bag in the frozen food section, which only required 15 minutes of heat up in a skillet. Need I say more about what this means?

First I had to sort the dried beans. Huh? Sort the beans? Was I sorting them by size? Color? I had to call my mom about that. And is it any wonder that I've never worked with a dried bean in my life? Come to find out, she's never met a dried bean either, but she seemed to know enough to explain about the bean sorting. I came to learn that there are sometimes stones (yes, stones) in the dried beans. Can someone explain this to me?

So back to the prep work. I sorted. I soaked. I sliced my carrots and celery. I set out all my ingredients on the counter to be ready for the crock pot this morning before I left for work. It was so... so... freeing. I'm makin' soup, people!

Of course, what else is going to nicely complement a warm, filling, ham and bean soup? Bread! Oh yeah! So when I got home from work I decided it was time to make another loaf of bread in my new breadmaker. I wanted to try my new wheat flour, so I chose the Honey Wheat bread recipe. So I'm just 1 hour and 15 minutes away from a lovely slice of homemade goodness. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Yes, let it be known that Liz is totally domestic!

It's Only Tuesday?

It sure has been a long day. Cooking real dinner sure does take it out of ya. Okay, just kidding. It wasn't really the dinner that wore me out. I actually felt pretty satisfied in that accomplishment.

I just can't believe it's only Tuesday, yet Wednesday is lurking just around the corner, and before I know it the weekend will be here.

Just in case you were concerned, my car is running fine. Maybe Rich was right...I got a bad tank of gas. You can't even tell that there was anything wrong with it as well as the engine is running now. Crazy!

Tomorrow is another running day for me. I'm psyched! (I'm sure EmiJo is, too.) LOL! My legs are feeling sore after Monday's run, though. I never can predict how I'll feel after a run. I would think that I'd get past the pain if I do the same thing every time, but that hasn't been the case.

I'm golfing with Rich after that. We are planning on going to a different course to break up the monotony. It's a little scary going to a new place. The fairways are longer than what we're accustomed to, and if we have people following close behind, it puts the pressure on to rush. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Catch ya later...

Dinner

Alright...I've finally broken down, and I'm gonna make "real" dinner again. For those who don't know how I have been preparing meals, since I HATE to cook I have been buying those frozen pre-made meals that you just throw in a skillet, put the lid on, and 10 minutes later... VOILA...you have stir-fry. I imagine I am probably spending more money on one meal than I would if I bought all the ingredients and prepared a meal that had leftovers. I also wonder what's in those prepared things.

So I AM going to make real dinner. I'm going to the grocery store this afternoon...with a shopping list and everything.