Ladies...Why Aren't You Cooking?

I have said that I love to cook... but more than that, it is my passion! It makes me happy to make others happy, to have others taste my food and really love it, is an incredible feeling! To have others praise you for what you just love to do is mind boggling! I am blessed to appreciate this gift and want to share it with everyone that I love! My question is even if you can't or you're not the best cook, why aren't the ladies cooking anymore?

My great grandmother was an inspiration to me because I remember as a kid, my great grandfather coming home every evening and sitting down to a home cooked meal. I have always carried that with me and love to do that for my man, excuse me, my fiance; and by the way ladies that is one of the reasons that I did get that ring *wink*! Never forget the saying "The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

(In the picture is my idea of a home cooked meal...instead of a whole meat loaf, which takes like an hour I made them into patties and it worked perfectly. Only took me about twenty minutes. The peas were frozen and the potatoes were pre-ackaged but I made a homemade gravy and cooked the bacon myself to crumble on top! Easy, but he thought it took me all day!)

I know that most women work, they have families and don't have time to cook full course meals every night; but in just thirty minutes or so you can give not only that man an amazing meal but your family too! Men tend to eat a lot of fast food and would feel appreciated and grateful that you take the time to show them a token of affection!

I'm not talking fancy shmancy food but its time for the ladies to get back in the kitchen! If time is an issue always remember that you can use 60% pre-packaged items and 40% fresh. For example use a store bought sauce but add fresh herbs and garlic to make it your own. In the frozen section there are veggies that are already chopped and ready to go; this helps with stews, soups or sauces. Don't be afraid to try new things, you have to open your mind...a great outlook for life also!

(In the picture I made chicken and waffles...I used store bought waffles and fried up some party wings; the wings were less expensive than buying the whole chicken cut up and I served it with a honey butter drizzled over the chicken and waffles. It was unexpected and not an everyday meal! It only took me about 30 minutes.)

Don't forget to season your food; there is so much more out there than salt and pepper! Garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, basil, thyme...these can Take your food from average to extraordinary.

Use recipes, there are so many resources out there to help; use them! It might take a while and you might make a few mistakes, I do, but keep trying! It is a simple way you can show that person that you care about that you appreciate them. I have been to restaurants where I have ordered Gumbo and never knew how to make it. I looked up a couple of recipes and did my best to recreate it. (In this picture I made a chicken and sausage gumbo. I used a pre-chopped cajun meripoix found in my frozen section, canned smoked tomatoes and followed the rest of the recipe with fresh ingredients. It was easy and only took me about 40 minutes.)

Come on ladies...independence in exceptional but loneliness is a dime a dozen. Get in that kitchen, lets bring back the tradition and bring our families back! Its not as hard as you make it!