Cooking 101

As a young lady, I never showed much interest in learning to cook. I never even really learned how to boil an egg until I was already a mom. I mean, I understood the basics. Start with cold water make sure egg is already in water and then bring to a boil. That was the extent of my knowledge concerning boiled eggs. Then again, I had never really had much use for boiled eggs until after I was married seeing as I don't like boiled eggs. I like devilled eggs, but I had never been in charge of preparing them.

Now, as a mom living in an area where everyone knows how to cook, I get picked on quite frequently for not knowing how. I have begun to push myself to learn how to cook. I have learned to prepare quick meals and also to do many slow cooker recipes.

One of my favorite slow cooker recipes is Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak. It takes a little bit of prep work, but it turns out so good it just melts in your mouth!

 Picture from allrecipes.com

I also love Lawry's marinades and my favorite is their Steak & Chop marinade. I know that I can throw some pork chops or steaks in a zip lock bag in the morning with some of the Steak & Chop marinade and put it in the fridge to defrost and marinate at the same time. Then, when I get home from running errands, I can just pull them out and grill, broil, or pan-fry them. So tasty no matter how they get cooked! I try to pair it with easy sides that are kid-friendly like mac & cheese, baked beans, green beans, or corn & peas.

Happy Cooking!!!

Cooking-without burning down the house

Before I met my husband, I could only make three things: potato soup, green bean casserole, and pancakes. I mean, sure, I could bake brownies or a cake from a package or heat up some canned soup, but I didn't realize how many culinary skills I lacked until I moved in with him. "JR" taught me how to make spaghetti, fish, baked chicken, pork, roast, hamburger helper, and pretty much everything else! His mama, "Julia," taught me how to make fried chicken in a pan, desserts from scratch, and a myriad of other delicious things I wouldn't have dreamed about making before.

When I visit my parents, I ask them to let me help in the kitchen now; something I never would have asked to do before becoming a mom. My dad is a great chef.  He taught me to make some goodies as well and I hope that one day I will be just as good as he is.

When I try new recipes, I will post on here as to whether or not my family enjoyed them. If they loved the recipe, I will post either a link or the recipe on here as well.