Isn't it funny how much we don't want to be like our parents growing up? Aaaand what's even more funny is how we turn into them without realizing its even happening... Inevitably, we all come to a point in our life when we do come to find - The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, now does it?
As a girl, a series of events in which little Catie got burnt by stove-top and or oven, quickly had me swearing that I would never cook like my mother. My mom always had home made meals prepared for us breakfast, lunch and dinner. We only ate out on vacation/REALLY special occasions. I probably asked for McDonalds every time we drove by it and I was greeted with a very resounding and resolute, "No, Catie, we have food at home."
"Well I know we have food at home, mom, but I don't want that food".... I wasn't a very appreciative child when it came to the healthy and balanced meals my parents provided me. (Dad cooked too, but it was definitely more of moms thing.) So, until rather recently, I just knew I would never cook. It wasn't something I was sad to admit, it was an absolute statement that I would NOT be cooking meals. I would marry a chef if I had to or a Boyscout because they cook over fires and fires are even more unpredictable than ovens.
Well guess what... I love cooking. I love the produce section of Kroger. I love grilled onions and peppers in everything. I like baking, sauteing, grilling, crock-potting, and boiling. I like looking up recipes and gathering up the specific ingredients needed for whatever the hell I'm getting ready to whip up. But, what I love the most about cooking - is serving. I like knowing that I picked out healthy, and usually, organic/natural foods to give my guests. I like the look of someone being satisfied from something I did. I'm still in the process of trying different recipes out. I'm no Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, Paula Deen or Bobby Flay or any of those other fancy chefs on Food network. But I have yet to see anyone run to the bathroom or suavely spit a bite of something out into their napkin.
I think another reason for my new found joy of cooking has to do with having real cookware and cooking utensils. Let me tell you two things that will change your idea of cooking/preparing healthy meals, especially if you're afraid to use vegetables.
1. The Chopper aka the Chop Chop - This magical device prevents anyone from chopping up vegetables with a knife ever again. I can use the chop chop on anything and it takes a fraction of the time. Even though I have to chop smaller portions at a time, its still MUCH faster than taking a knife and trying to nicely and evenly cut that stuff up. Also, it's much less hazardous AND it's super easy to clean. Thank you, Chop Chop inventor - you just made my meals 30% more healthy.
2. Garlic Press. I saw this neat little device at my brothers apartment a month or so ago. Matt and I were both fascinated by it. A very simple machine in nature, but so powerful.
(I just considered using Luke Skywalker & friends trapped in the garbage disposal of the Death Star from Episode I (or IV if you count those stupid prequels) as an allusion to what the garlic press does, but figured showing a picture was a better reference)
No more chopping garlic up in a plastic bag with a hammer... you know to keep your hands from smelling like garlic for the next 24-36 hours. Now, we could put cloves upon cloves of garlic in whatever we wanted in a matter of minutes. Also, cleaning this contraption is super easy and not time consuming. I know garlic is a weird thing to love, but there are SO many health benefits to garlic. It is proven to assist in lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and it's a natural antibiotic. Garlic = Awesomeness.
So those are the two big things that have made a huge difference in what Matt and I cook. The other day we made the most AMAZING Quesadillas. We drove by a Taco Bell on our way home from Kroger and I immediately went into crave mode. I wanted a steak quesadilla in the worst way and if Matt had consented to a quick drive-thru pitstop, I wouldn't have felt guilty... until about 5 minutes after consuming that quesadilla in approximately 3 minutes.
Well, instead of wasting money on crappy food (that tastes Oh so good), we made quesadillas ourselves using:
1. Two whole wheat, all natural tortillas.
2. Grilled organic onions, pepper, and garlic.
3. Grilled organic chicken.
4. Organic Black Beans
3. Trader Joes shredded cheese... which is, of course, organic.
4. Organic sour cream.
Let me just say - they were the BEST quesadillas either of us had ever consumed. We finished the meal off with some white wine . Awesome. It was also awesome, because we both worked on the meal. It was so much fun cooking with him. Matt is always encouraging me to experiment with the ingrediants we have in our cabinets. He's just wonderful like that... oh, and btw, he also happens to be a better cook and MUCH more knowledgeable about the kitchen than me. So between my experimenting and his expertise, we make a pretty good team :)
As a girl, a series of events in which little Catie got burnt by stove-top and or oven, quickly had me swearing that I would never cook like my mother. My mom always had home made meals prepared for us breakfast, lunch and dinner. We only ate out on vacation/REALLY special occasions. I probably asked for McDonalds every time we drove by it and I was greeted with a very resounding and resolute, "No, Catie, we have food at home."
"Well I know we have food at home, mom, but I don't want that food".... I wasn't a very appreciative child when it came to the healthy and balanced meals my parents provided me. (Dad cooked too, but it was definitely more of moms thing.) So, until rather recently, I just knew I would never cook. It wasn't something I was sad to admit, it was an absolute statement that I would NOT be cooking meals. I would marry a chef if I had to or a Boyscout because they cook over fires and fires are even more unpredictable than ovens.
Well guess what... I love cooking. I love the produce section of Kroger. I love grilled onions and peppers in everything. I like baking, sauteing, grilling, crock-potting, and boiling. I like looking up recipes and gathering up the specific ingredients needed for whatever the hell I'm getting ready to whip up. But, what I love the most about cooking - is serving. I like knowing that I picked out healthy, and usually, organic/natural foods to give my guests. I like the look of someone being satisfied from something I did. I'm still in the process of trying different recipes out. I'm no Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, Paula Deen or Bobby Flay or any of those other fancy chefs on Food network. But I have yet to see anyone run to the bathroom or suavely spit a bite of something out into their napkin.
I think another reason for my new found joy of cooking has to do with having real cookware and cooking utensils. Let me tell you two things that will change your idea of cooking/preparing healthy meals, especially if you're afraid to use vegetables.
1. The Chopper aka the Chop Chop - This magical device prevents anyone from chopping up vegetables with a knife ever again. I can use the chop chop on anything and it takes a fraction of the time. Even though I have to chop smaller portions at a time, its still MUCH faster than taking a knife and trying to nicely and evenly cut that stuff up. Also, it's much less hazardous AND it's super easy to clean. Thank you, Chop Chop inventor - you just made my meals 30% more healthy.
2. Garlic Press. I saw this neat little device at my brothers apartment a month or so ago. Matt and I were both fascinated by it. A very simple machine in nature, but so powerful.
(I just considered using Luke Skywalker & friends trapped in the garbage disposal of the Death Star from Episode I (or IV if you count those stupid prequels) as an allusion to what the garlic press does, but figured showing a picture was a better reference)
No more chopping garlic up in a plastic bag with a hammer... you know to keep your hands from smelling like garlic for the next 24-36 hours. Now, we could put cloves upon cloves of garlic in whatever we wanted in a matter of minutes. Also, cleaning this contraption is super easy and not time consuming. I know garlic is a weird thing to love, but there are SO many health benefits to garlic. It is proven to assist in lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and it's a natural antibiotic. Garlic = Awesomeness.
So those are the two big things that have made a huge difference in what Matt and I cook. The other day we made the most AMAZING Quesadillas. We drove by a Taco Bell on our way home from Kroger and I immediately went into crave mode. I wanted a steak quesadilla in the worst way and if Matt had consented to a quick drive-thru pitstop, I wouldn't have felt guilty... until about 5 minutes after consuming that quesadilla in approximately 3 minutes.
Well, instead of wasting money on crappy food (that tastes Oh so good), we made quesadillas ourselves using:
1. Two whole wheat, all natural tortillas.
2. Grilled organic onions, pepper, and garlic.
3. Grilled organic chicken.
4. Organic Black Beans
3. Trader Joes shredded cheese... which is, of course, organic.
4. Organic sour cream.
Let me just say - they were the BEST quesadillas either of us had ever consumed. We finished the meal off with some white wine . Awesome. It was also awesome, because we both worked on the meal. It was so much fun cooking with him. Matt is always encouraging me to experiment with the ingrediants we have in our cabinets. He's just wonderful like that... oh, and btw, he also happens to be a better cook and MUCH more knowledgeable about the kitchen than me. So between my experimenting and his expertise, we make a pretty good team :)
