I Met Guy Fieri! Almost...
When the cooking genes were handed out I obviously was dealt my dad's genes. On visits to my Dad in Italy while I was a teen (my parents weren't divorced, but lived apart for 4 years while he worked overseas), he cooked eggs, boiled water for tea, and heated up soup...every night for dinner. But, the funny thing is my mother is a very good cook. She can whip up a meal in no time. My noncook status is strange even to me as I am the sole cook for my family. My husband cooks a meal here and there, but the daily cooking is all on my shoulders. I prepare breakfast, make lunches, and cook dinner 7 days a week for my family. After all these years, I still struggle to come up with dinner even though I think about what to cook from the moment I wake up in the morning. With a shelf of cook books, the Food Network, and grocery stores of all types in any directions I would care to drive, I remain an unimaginative, untrained cook. I'm an avid watcher of cooking shows though. Love Guy, Bobby, and the whole gang! I lack the confidence to try out any of the dishes on the show, but Can.Not.Stop.Watching.
When I receive an invitation to attend the neighborhood cookie exchange, my standard response is "Uh, I'm not much of a baker." If you ever see me walking in to my monthly Book Club meetings, I will be carrying chips and dip or a store-bought pie rather than a gourmet dish. If my middle schooler asks me for our favorite family recipe for FACS [Family and Consumer Science class..."Cooking/Needlework class" back in the day], my reply of "What about spaghetti?", will make her look like "Mommy, is that the best you can do." You see I am not a cook.
When I heard that some Food Network stars were coming to D.C for the Metrocooking Show, I knew I had to go. My teen loved the show -- she is a good cook...she got the good genes. We wandered from vendors selling bread and cakes to those hawking nuts and teas. I couldn't afford the premium tickets to see Guy Fieri or Paula Deen, but we did see Top Chef's Richard Blais and Carla Hall. Both of these contestants could not have been nicer or more down-to-earth. I left with a recipe for Carla Hall's veggie peanut stew that was so straightforward that even *I* could cook it. I did *see* Guy...on the huge TV screen above the VIP cooking stage... After the show, it was back to the reality of cooking for my family. My children are becoming my harshest critics. When the kids were younger, heating up Chicken nuggets for dinner with a side of vegetables and mac and cheese worked for a night or two per week. Throw in tacos, a "breakfast for dinner," pizza delivery, a few other selections, and that was our nightly menu. But, things had to change... About 2 years ago, I came to the realization that the baby weight I was carrying had to go, especially as my "babies" were then 4, 9, and 11. I bypassed Weight Watchers in favor of exercising at a health club and eating right. I have a history of joining WW, but fizzling out on the required follow-through. Eating healthy proved to be easier than I would have thought. Who knew that if you place salad on a child's plate often enough the child will eventually eat it? Of course one child eats the salad without salad dressing. While the other child nibbles at her salad while pulling faces, but the salad is eaten. I choose to ignore these acts of culinary disobedience. My little guy is the lone lover of salad. The reason may lie in the fact that I gave him "people food" at a very early age. He was one of those baby's who would gobble baby food by the jar, then scan my plate for whatever was tasty. I started making him whatever I ate. Hmmm, if I had only known this with Child #1 and #2! The processed and ready-to-eat foods were kicked to the curb. Bye bye beloved Costco frozen foods. Hello fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat. Oh, I still buy the odd frozen pizza or nuggets, but my grocery cart is more green and fresh looking...if you know what I mean. Another revelation...bring a recipe card to the grocery, so that the lack of an ingredient is no longer a reason not to cook. Who knew!? While our eating habits are much improved, we still have a way to go. The kids' lunches now feature a fruit and a vegetable, but also the "something sweet" -- another hard habit to break. The constant care packages from one set of grandparents are a temptation. Hello, Pop Tarts and Cocoa Pebbles I am talking to you. What is it with grandparents and treats?? So, our journey to healthy eating continues one meal at a time. Sadly, for my children I am the cook, but with my continued baby steps my cooking is improving. And, added bonus the smoke alarm goes off less often. Win! Thanks to the MetroCooking Show for tickets! When not staring at cook books and wondering what sous-vide means, Jill blogs about this and that and the other at Musings.
