You're What??

It was a badge I wore with honor....you would hear me say it all the time, "I'm just really not that good in the kitchen!" Recently I was asked what my "go to" dish was? The thing I made when I was in a pinch, with no time, nothing planned. My blank stare probably answered her directly but I felt like saying... I "Go to" the store and figure out what to make!

This summer one of the things that the girls wanted to work on was learning how to make different meals. They have mastered the breakfast dishes that Daddy makes each weekend. Ellie can even whip up a homemade batch of pancakes. She just needs stove monitoring but she can flip pancakes with the best of them. Frankly I accepted their request thinking that this particular goal we could attack later in the summer. But to no avail, they hit the first week of summer scouring cookbooks looking for recipes. They have made some pretty good stuff. They started out their venture making homemade goodies like "Mrs. Sligh Brownies" & "Chocolate Chip Banana Bread."

I really thought maybe their interest would stop at the baked goods, but we began looking through the weekly grocery store ads and our meals started to come together.
Even Eric (my most loving...and toughest... critic) has liked the things we have made. We need to work on presentation and photography....but here is our latest creation:
Chicken Stirfry

We also have made Pineapple Garlic PorkChops and a Zesty Meatloaf! Really even as I type this I am realizing that these dishes are very simple and yet they reveal an accomplishment for me. It has provided fun times in the kitchen and actually some order to our evenings. I even have found my "go to meal!" It is so easy and incredibly CHEAP!!! I go to it not just when I am in a hurry, but also when our budget is TIGHT! It costs a whole $5.00!! We make homemade pizza! Walmart has $.47 pizza crust (we use two) and pizza sauce and I usually stock up on the shredded cheese when it is $.99! We experimented with it too...like taco pizza...salsa instead of sauce...taco meat, lettuce, cheese, onion, etc. on top! We also recently made calzone and strombolil with it! Which was yummy!


So, I am not good in the kitchen.....I am not ready to be an Iron Chef contender. I have decided that there is just one thing that I am naturally good at. One thing that I can do at the drop of hat, without much thinking...and that is plannig! I love to plan, organize and prioritize.I do it all the time. I sometimes even plan in my sleep and awake to a new room arrangement or way to attack some logistical nightmare. So, instead of being intimidated by my lack of ability in the kitchen I have decided to use what I am good at to help me in the kitchen. Well, I am off to plan another week of meals. This week Julia is featured with her homemade oven fried chicken! We have our plan....it's posted on the fridge.I guess I would still say I am not great in the kitchen, but atleast I have a go to dish now!