“Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” – Julia Child
I consider myself a pretty good cook now, considering the fact that in college the only thing I could cook well was ramen noodles, spaghetti with meat sauce (out of a jar), and macaroni and cheese.
I remember this one time (at band camp… just joking… but seriously now…), I began cooking some chicken tenderloins and rice, and I decided that while it cooked I would sit down in my papasan chair and watch a bit of TV. I was feeling very independent in my first apartment. Well, about 40 minutes later, I woke up to the smell of something burning. I had curled up in that abominable chair and fallen asleep. I jumped up, only to fall flat on the floor because one of my legs had fallen asleep! So after burning both the chicken tenderloins and the rice, and after I regained the feeling in my leg, I ordered in pizza!
So needless to say, I ate out a lot or I went over to my grandparent’s house and ate dinner with them! It wasn’t until I met my husband, Mike, that I actually started “learning to cook.” And because he was a bodybuilder and police officer, we ate a lot of chicken and rice meals.
But now, I think I’m a pretty good cook. No formal training here! When it comes to food I know how to cook, I pretty much improvise; however, there are certain dishes that I follow the recipe until I learn how to put my own spin on the dish!
Nearly every Sunday morning, I wake up around 8:00 a.m. and begin to pace around my small kitchen wondering what I’m going to make for Sunday lunch. Usually it’s the same thing Sunday after Sunday – chicken, potatoes, green beans, and carrots. Sometimes I make a dessert too.
But on special occasions (i.e. birthdays, New Years, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas), I whip up a little “somethin’-somethin'” special for those I love!
For instance, my mother-in-law loves my homemade chicken salad (which I don’t make the same way twice) and my potato salad. My father-in-law loves my made-from-scratch chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. My husband’s Aunt Susan love it when I undercook the rolls. Susan is also my official taste-tester. Dallas, and her husband Dave, love my chicken dumplings (which is my husband’s grandmother’s recipe). E.J. just loves my cooking, which he says “is yummy in his tummy!” My grandpa Lashlee says that the reason my cooking tastes so good is because “it’s made with love!”
I usually end up stressing out a bit about the Sunday lunch menu because I have to make certain things with and without onions, like my potato salad or my chicken salad. But that’s ok, as long as everyone is happy! And when someone says that the food tastes good, I always say it’s because “it’s made with love!”
So this past Easter Sunday, I went all out with the LOVE and prepared what everyone says was a delicious meal. I made two pots of chicken dumplings, sweet potato casserole with marshmellow topping, green beans, potato salad, and Sister Shubert rolls. Susan made buffalo chips, which is marshmellow filling smushed between two soft chocolate cookies. Dallas brought apples and strawberries to dip in some delicious Heath Bar dip! She got the recipe off of Pinterest!
[Sidebar: I have made several dishes from recipes I’ve found on Pinterest! It’s a awesome site for recipes. Check it out!]
Even though you cannot enjoy my cooking every Sunday, here are some pictures of me preparing my Easter Sunday lunch!
I have to clean the chicken backs before I boil them in water for the chicken broth. Then I make my dumplings from scratch… yummy!
I had three of the four burners going on the stove: one pan had green beans, a second pan had sweet potatoes boiling for the sweet potato casserole, and a third pan had potatoes and eggs boiling for the potato salad.
I’d love to know what some of your favorite dishes are, so drop me a comment and/or recipe. Then I can make your favorite dish for one of my Sunday lunches and post it here! So let me know… what are your favorite dishes?
Until then… enjoy your food because someone made it with love!
“Bon A Petiet!” – Julia Child”