Don't get too excited folks

...but I'm on a roll.

Now that Kyle is home, and the "summer hours" have come to a brief cessation, I think I am making dinner again. It already happened twice this week! I'm probably going to jinx myself though by announcing it to the world. Don't ask Kyle about the ribs from tonight, however-- they were not very good. I'll be better about my meat selection next time. At least I had chocolate chip cookies to finish off the meal. That's the important thing.

You may be wondering since I have only one meal left before I run out of meal ideas, if I have a backup plan. Yes! My dear friend who came to visit me, also came with a wonderful gift in tow. A box full of RECIPES! Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not fond of the kitchen when it comes to cooking dinner, so typically, recipes would send me into a panic. Paring knives, cheese graters, garlic presses give me nervous twitches. Dicing vegetables, sprinkling spices, and boiling water gets my stomach all tied up in knots. Why? Because cooking, much different than baking, allows you to use your own artistic flare to create colorful and tasty meals based on your liking. I really don't have food preferences, and I'm not too picky, so the "creative" part of cooking is hard. I like food. I eat food. The best food, however, is food I do not cook myself. That kind of food is truly delicious.

Baking, my preference, is more of a chemistry. I never was fond of the subject, but I am very good at measuring and following recipes with exactness (meaning, I don't have to think. I just have to do. Period). I don't have to stress if the cookies will turn out (unless my kids play with the knobs and turn the oven to broil), or if the crust will be fluffy enough. I have my ingredients and my recipe, and I am for sure going to get what I want. And, when it comes to sweets, I know what I like, so when there are choices to make and your own artistic flare to add, I'm good at deciding if I want raspberries on my chocolate bundt cake, fudge sauce, or both.

So back to the magic recipe box from Liz. She spent hours upon hours pouring over her repertoire of recipes, selecting her favorites, evaluating if they were easy enough for me, then handwriting each one. She really did select doable, flexible, and (dare I say Fun?) recipes that I cannot screw up. Liz spent an entire evening with me answering all my questions about the recipes. And yes, I had a lot of dumb questions.

Knowing what you do about me, perhaps you have a few questions yourself....

Do your kids live off McD's since you don't cook? No. Providing well-balanced meals for my kids is easy. They still both eat the pureed vegetables in the baby food jars (yes, Cade is 4 and he still prefers pureed over whole) except for carrots and broccoli, which they do eat whole. And that takes care of the vegetables. Fruits are easy to prepare--slice or dice or simply serve: Applesauce, apples, pears, mandarin oranges, peaches, grapes... Protein: string cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, grilled chicken, ham. Grains: bread or rolls or the occasional cous cous. And they both like pasta. They are usually fed a very lunch-like dinner that is no mess no fuss. I don't have to think very hard about it. That's probably how most normal people feel about cooking dinner. Easy, don't have to think hard.... Mine just really is easy. I know, I am certainly not setting my kids up to be adventurous eaters.

Do you eat the same food you feed your children for dinner? Sometimes. I often just don't eat dinner. Or I'll have a sandwich with a V-8 and yogurt or something. And of course, move quickly on to dessert, which I always have available.

And what about Kyle-- how does keep from starving? Hmmm, it's a mystery really. Often he comes home and fixes himself (and me) something to eat, be full from lunch if he went out somewhere.....or??? Yes, sadly, he probably starves much of the summer. Sorry, hon.

Did the bishop know this about you before you were called to be Relief Society President? Do you think I would have this calling if he knew of my incompetence in the kitchen?! RSPs are always excellent cooks, gardeners, and canners. I am not. Clearly I put on a great facade.

Is your mother embarrassed at your lack of ability to cook? Probably. She was a great example. She made dinner every night (except Tuesdays. I think Tuesday was salad night from Ukrops because she had class or something?) and Sundays us kids were forced, er, kindly asked, to make dinner. I guess I just never developed a love for cooking. I can cook, sort of -- I just don't do it well, and cooking unfamiliar meals gives me serious anxiety.

Has reality of your lack of sport in the kitchen been a big let-down for Kyle? Hmmm. You'd have to ask him. I don't think I ever said while we were dating that I enjoyed cooking, so I don't think I tricked him into marrying me for my dinners. I did go through a stage one or two summers in our marriage when I cooked nightly because I was all inspired by those great cooking shows. But school always started back up in September and the kitchen no longer found it's way back into my life the same way. Kyle is always trying to pump me up and tell me how much he loves it when I serve one of the three meals I know how to make. If he stayed on that meal rotation for the rest of his life, I don't think he would really mind. Yes, I have a pretty low maintenance guy. Wouldn't take much to keep him happily fed. Yet for some reason, I manage to still starve him... Yes, I guess he probably is a teensy weensy bit disappointed that after 5 years, I still haven't made it big over the stove.

Is your grocery bill pretty low since you don't plan dinners? Hmmm, my grocery bill is probably normal. Each week I still have the anticipation that I am going to actually cook. Each week I say, "This is going to be the week that I change!" I plan meals and include them in my grocery shopping, but it's inevitable that one of the following happens:
a. Kyle will get home really late from work (post 10pm), nullifying the desire to cook
b. Kyle will be out of town
c. Kyle will be with the scouts and have a pizza party or the like
d. Kyle will have taken an employee out to lunch and he would be still full from that
e. Kyle grabs a bite for him and me to eat on his way home. He is the one that keeps me from starving many a times.

So, either the food goes to a meal delivered to someone else in need, OR the meat goes in the freezer once I realize it's not going to be used in enough time, the produce goes in a quick salad to be eaten for a light dinner or lunch, and the unperishable ingredients are added to the shelf of "meals that never came to fruition." And yes, food has gone to waste all too oft.

I certainly don't spend money on exotic ingredients, so that will keep the costs down. But remember, if my kids are still eating baby food, that stuff isn't cheap (yes, I know, I could make my own, or somehow force them to eat sweet potatoes, garden vegetables, green beans, squash and corn in there non-pureed form, but I haven't succeeded quite yet) so I think it all evens out.

What's your game plan? I've selected recipes. Next I'll do what the rest of the meal-planners in the world do and make a grocery list. Then, I'll post the meals for the week on the fridge so Kyle knows what to expect, which will be key. Then I'll go ahead and give it a go. If all else fails, there's more cookie dough in the fridge.

To Be Continued.