Cooking

Okay, I admit it. I’ve fallen in love… with. . . . Cooking. Never thought that would happen. The unfortunate part is that I spend 40 hours at work each week. Meaning, that by the time I get home at night, there is a severe damper on my culinary creativity because I usually just want to relax. However, I have found so much pleasure in my newly discovered love for this art that I make time to be in the kitchen, either in the morning before work or sometimes working until nearly bedtime. My food is not gourmet, mind you, but it is yummy and satisfying. Oh, and it’s usually healthy, except when I have moments of weakness and pull out cream cheese, ranch dressing, or other tempting ingredients like that. I make to-die-for green beans, 101 different chicken dishes, great fruit smoothies, tempting desserts, and admittedly add pecans to any recipe where I can get away with it. There are few things that are "signature" dishes for me, simply because I like to try a little bit of everything. Every once in awhile there is a meal that ends up being a total bomb (like my oozy strawberry pancakes, which my darling husband graciously tried to eat so as not to hurt my feelings...) but for the most part I've learned to make things work, even if they don't end up quite like the recipe intended. Recently I have discovered that I cook by Smell, not by Taste (like normal people do). I will prepare an entire meal (never sticking completely to the recipe, of course!), and season it by smell. I never realized this until I would place dinner on the table and say to my husband, “Well, I hope it’s good.” He always looked at me with a quizzical expression and say “You didn’t try it? How did you season it?” Busted. It wasn’t until that conversation was repeated several nights in a row that I realized I seasoned by how something smelled. If it smelled like it needed a bit more basil or garlic, then I would add more until the aroma seemed right. This unconventional method isn’t failed me yet, but on the day it does, I’m sure it’ll be a memorable disaster. Creating mouth-watering-goodness takes work and preparation; culinary masterpieces don’t happen by random chance. But with the right recipes, a dash of sugar and a pinch of salt, you can temp the palate of even the finickiest of eaters. What are some of your signature dishes?