One thing that happens when you decide to move 10 hours from everything…you have no friends! With just the two of us, Jon and I have not only become closer, we have discovered that we now have extra free time that was once spent on friends and family. To fill this hole, I’ve become obsessed with cooking.
I’ve always considered myself an excellent baker. Growing up in the south…you have to be! Baking is the way southern women say “I’m sorry” or “thank you” or “congratulations” or “he’s a loser and you can do way better.” However, I’ve always been frightened by the idea of creating actual meals. My bestie Abby is an excellent cook and always told me to just get in there and go for it. So…when we moved to Dallas, that’s exactly what I did. Maybe it was the free time, maybe it was my urge to nest, but whatever the reason…I got over my fears and never looked back. I found several important things to always remember when cooking:
1. Cook what you like to eat! I love chicken and shrimp, mushrooms, tomatoes, vegetables, and cheese – so I typically work those ingredients into meals whenever possible. I always have those items stocked so they’re on-hand whenever I need them.
2. Build a great collection of dried herbs and spices. I have slowly gotten good at knowing how to use spices in recipes to add flavor. Unfortunately, when I moved I carelessly forgot to pack my cabinet that contained all of my spices, so I’m slowly having to re-build it. But, it’s worth the money because it makes a huge difference in the way your recipes taste.
3. Clean out the refrigerator once a week. Every weekend I go through my fridge and see what I have, what I don’t have, what’s about to expire, and plan accordingly. I HATE being wasteful and throwing away unused food – so if I have and item with only a couple of days left, I try to plan it into a meal. Which lead’s to my next tip…
4. Do weekly meal planning. I typically do all my grocery shopping for the week on Sunday, and before I go I have to figure out what I’m going to eat! I do this several ways….I flip through recipes books, browse other people’s blogs and foodnetwork.com, find coupons or see what items are on sale at my local stores, and even ask Jon, “Is there something you’d like to eat?” This has become so crucial to a successful meal week because I’m prepared and can make better use of my money and the food that I buy.
5. Don’t stress. I used to hate cooking because I was constantly stressed while attempting it. I was worried I’d screw up so much that I didn’t just let go and enjoy myself. What’s the worst that could happen? You burn something beyond oblivion, smoke fills the room causing the smoke alarm to go off, the dog starts freaking out…and you end up getting chinese takeout. Ok, so not an ideal night, but still survivable. Now when I cook, I actually enjoy it, so much that I consider it a hobby, something I love to do. I’m not sure where the threshold is between stress-maker and stress-reliever, but I crossed it and if I can, anyone can. And on that note…
6. Make your kitchen a happy place. If you’re kitchen isn’t a place you want to be, why would you enjoy cooking in it? Fortunately for me, the place Jon and I found has a fantastic kitchen that’s open, has tons of counter space, and has a great gas oven and stove! For anyone who saw my home in Birmingham….this is an upgrade to the Nth degree. But, whatever type of kitchen you have, you can make it practical and useful and a place you love. Find a cute dish towel to bring life to an old stove. If you lack in cabinet space, put your utensils in canisters on the counter. And above all else, I find that no kitchen is complete with out fresh flowers!
Below are two meals I made this weekend. Saturday night I made an arugula and ricotta pizza topped with smoked mozzarella and Roma tomatoes. Sunday, I made an incredible omelet using the leftover tomatoes and mozzarella and added mushrooms I has stocked. I decided to add dried basil and a hint of milk into the eggs before I cooked them – it was absolutely divine! Who says cooking has to be painful?
Dixie Girl in Dallas 