All my life, I have been a terrible cook. I am not a foodie, and if I could get by eating Kraft dinner with chips on top for every meal for the rest of my life, I would totally do it. When I lived alone, I survived on spaghetti, white rice, bagels, and cheese slices (oh those Kraft guys owe me big).
I once set a stove on fire by boiling water. I was bad, people, bad.
Then we went and had kids, and eventually I was shamed by the internet into occasionally preparing vegetables. I bought some cookbooks and tried a couple of new things. The Captain’s allergies forced me to make a lot of things at home that I would have previously bought at a store.
A few years ago I even put together a monthly meal plan. With side dishes and everything. I’ve developed the confidence to mess around with recipes, to try new things, to make meals. But I can see that actual dishes are being assembled here, and I’m getting better all the time.
I wouldn’t say I’m a chef or anything, but I could probably pass these days for a short-order cook. If Sir Monkeypants ever gets laid off, I could probably get a job at Swiss Chalet, say, or maybe even East Side Marios as a stretch goal.
Last year at Christmas, Sir Monkeypants was complaining that I don’t pursue my hobbies anymore, and I pointed out to him that I have been forced into a new hobby called “Feeding the Family.” My gift wish list these days breaks into three categories — books, Etsy items, and kitchen stuff. I really want devices and cookbooks and cool gadgets that will make my life as a food preparer easier. It’s my thing now, like it or not.
Oh sure, they don’t usually (…um, often) eat the stuff I make. But you know, I always like it. And I feel something when I set the table and sit down to a delicious full meal that I made myself…I think it’s called pride.
God, I sound like a 1930’s edition of Good Housekeeping magazine, don’t I?
TurtleHead 
haha!! You have progressed WAY further than me on this cooking frontier! But I have to say, the kitchen gadget thing doesn’t surprise me one bit … I love a nice pretty gadget! Hubby makes fun of me and doesn’t let me do the grocery shopping because he says all I come home with is cleaning products. Stay tuned for my ongoing “4 ingredients” saga! 🙂
I love my kitchen and would happily indulge in more time there … on the weekend. My problem is that I live with two non-foodies. Makes it difficult to be adventuresome when the list of “don’t like” is a mile long….
Once in a while, I make them suffer though. LOL.
i’d like more gadgets too. i can cook. i’m no chef, but give me a recipe and i can pretty much make anything. i’m not a huge fan of cooking, but hey, if i don’t we’d be eating kraft mac and cheese with hot dogs cut up in it all week long.
I love to cook, but the daily feeding the family grind can get a little tiring. Especially when I’m dealing with one kid who hates everything. I’m working on it though. Last night we laid out some dinner time rules, there was much screaming and crying. Hopefully today goes better.
Heck, you’re light years from what you used to be in the kitchen, and I’m oh-so-proud. Plus, when I’m over, there’s usually food around now for me to eat (and, thus, I’m kind of glad that the rest of the household doesn’t usually eat the stuff!).
You should get a food processor if you don’t already have one. They are SO helpful and makes the whole cooking process go by so much faster! 🙂
My husband likes to joke that before he came along (and started cooking for me) all I would eat was pasta with peanut butter. In reality I add pasta with 2 tbs of tomato sauce. While not quite as bad as he makes out I did order in every night for 3 days when he was out of the city. Now I have a love of cooking born from my desire to get out of childcare. I never thought I would enjoy it. I love to eat but I was always too lazy to cook. Now I say bring it on!
So, do tell, what is your best recipe?
No, a 1930s housewife would think nothing of preparing a full meal every evening. This would have been what she’d beed bred to do, after all. She only gets to be proud when her husband brings home 12 people for dinner at the last minute without letting her know and she whips up a gourmet feast which is ready seconds after the guests have consumed their 2nd cocktail. But hurrah for you!! Slow cookers are also very helpful kitchen applances – especially for winter when you can throw in a bunch of ingredients and have a complete meal at the end of it. All you have to do is maybe add a salad and some bread.