A new me!

Being married has definitely made me a better person. I now cook, and bake! Ha ha... Who would have known! When we had Xander, that was another great push to learn to cook. I decided that I wanted to make delicious things for my boys, always! When Xander grows up I want him to want to come over for a good home cooked meal! Another reason I started cooking was because of David. He is a fantastic cook, and I didn't want to be the mom who doesn't know how to cook! Plus I love delicious food, and if i can make it myself that's such a bonus! Now I don't want you thinking that I'm tooting my own horn here, however I just want to share my learning experience thus far. I also want to say that yes "ANY ONE CAN COOK". You just have to try it! This reminds me of the movie, Ratatouille. If you've yet to watch this film its a must see, super cute! Now I want you to know that I by no means am a perfected cook. I am just a mom and wife that wants nothing more then to satisfy her family with amazing food. I also do not cook anything without a recipe! I'm not that great yet. I'm not at that cooking level where I can just whip something up because the ingredients sound delicious, David can though! He is my inspiration. Since learning how to cook, I've managed to create a staple list, that is a list with the necessities that we need to keep stocked up in our kitchen. Here is what that looks like:

Lemons, Limes, Cilantro, Parsley, Garlic, Onions, Red & Green Bell peppers, Green onions.

·         Chicken, ground beef, Bacon

·         Potatoes

·         Heavy Whipping Cream/Half and Half, Chicken broth, Chicken/Mushroom Soup

·         Flour, sugar, Brown sugar, confectionery sugar, salt, pepper, Crushed red pepper flakes, ground ginger, Mustard Seed, Curry, Italian seasoning, rosemary. Adobo, Ranch Powder Dressing.

·          Milk, eggs, Mozzarella cheese, shredded cheddar cheese.
   

      I know I'm missing quite a few ingredients, but this was just a quick list! When I first started cooking, I had a handful of doubts, and scares. How in the world am I going to know what staples I need in the kitchen. When will I ever use this specific seasoning again besides in this one recipe?! Is it even worth buying?

      Now that I've played around with some recipes, It all has just accumulated. My nerves and stresses have been solved by just experimenting. To this day though i will still come across a recipe I think is impossible to cook, I become overwhelmed by the list of ingredients and the long list of steps. However once I just jump into it, it feels fun, I become happy with the results.
              I still  have a long way to go. I still take a very long time prepping my ingredients, chopping my veggies, measuring things out. But I'm proud of how far I've come. I went from not cooking a single thing but a hot pocket in the microwave, and heating up pre-seasoned stir fry frozen cooked meals, to learning how to make sauces from scratch. I still freeze up when find a recipe, and I still always need Davids help. But I'm so happy I've taken the initiative and instead of complaining of my lack of cooking skills, i did something about it. I'm going to post a few pictures of stuff I've made, and just tell you about others I don't have pictures of. I'll try to post the links of the recipes as well. Before I do that, I must mention that pretty much all of these recipes I've come across online, but a few staples and absolute favorites, are from my dearest friend Becca, and my mom. 

    

Alright, for Mothers day I made a Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, all from scratch. I was thrilled, yet nervous, that it wouldn't cook thoroughly or taste right. But it came out fantastic if i do say so myself!

\     I omitted, the coconut, walnuts and raisins, because most people are not fond of those in a cake..I also decided to bake it in two 9" pans and make it a double layered cake. Next time i plan on decorating the top and making it all pretty! Sam's Famous Carrot Cake

Pork Chops Stuffed with Smoked Gouda

Some delicious pasta with Mild Johnsonville Bratwurst

My absolute favorite meatloaf recipe! 

   

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut butter cookies WARNING, this are highly addicting!!!

Homemade Mushroom, pepperoni, olive pizza I helped David lol

Penne Rosa (Noodles and Co)

Cashew Chicken

Olive gardens Chicken con Broccoli

Curry Chicken with steamed Jasmine Rice

     If your interested in any other recipes I didn't post let me know! :) Like I said, I don't always take pictures of my food, because sometimes it looks terrible and taste amazing!... The next recipe I'm dying to try is Alton Brown's Shrimp Spring Roles.... YUM!

      

     These are my cooking adventures so far! I must say thank you to the many people who have given me wonderful recipes and ideas! Especially my husband David, who I'm lucky enough to be married too. He ALWAYS helps in the kitchen, and will even cook if I'm too tired, or not in the mood to cook. I am one lucky lady! I'm so happy too that we love the same food, and are not picky one bit! We love trying new things!!!!!