loving my apron...

being in the kitchen is a place i am comfortable.  i have a really small kitchen right now.  it is set up like a galley kitchen, the sink and oven are across from each other.  when you have the dishwasher open you can't get into the refrigerator.  there is very little cupboard space, but the cupboards it does have have slide out drawers this is a really nice feature.  i have kitchen things stashed all over, in a hutch in the eating area, in my front closest (thank you dad for putting those shelves in there for me), towels are in my laundry room, there are more things stashed but i feel like you might be screaming hoarder at me, so i will stop.

even though my kitchen is tight i am able to turn out delicious creations.  i am a novice chef. ha! that makes me laugh just saying it.  okay, no really i am a recipe follower.  i lack the ability to create meals just because i think the flavors will taste good together.  i do not understand the science behind mixing the compoents to create a flavor balanced dish.  i could probably benefit from an actual cooking class, just to understand, but really there are so many qualified chefs out there that share their recipes i don't need to go to class. 

although if you, not sure who you is but maybe you will know who you are, want to surprise me.  cooking lessons would be what i would get me.  i don't when i would ever have the time to go to them, but i would adore you forever.  if you decided to take them with me that would be even better. 

okay, back to it. 

i like to make food from scratch.  i don't like processed, boxed up food that you just mix and heat.  i am definitely not criticizing you folks who cook this way, i just like to get my hands in the mess and prefer to cook from scratch.  yes, this does take more time and little more planning, but i think that it better for myself and my kids.  i know exactly what is in our food and can control the amount of fillers we are ingesting. 

 

so i have been addicted to pinterest.  there is a food section and my mouth waters as i repin countless recipes i want to try.  i may not get to all of them, but i am making a concerted effort to try at least one a week.  this seems a little overwhelming, but i am going to give it a go.  last week i made two new things; slow cooker ranch style pork chops and parmesan mashed potatoes

i didn't have pork chops, so i used a pork roast instead.  same idea, tasted fantastic.  i had an extra eater, my mom and we ate it all up.  even the potatoes were fantastic and i am not a huge potato fan.  the other thing i made was some rolls from scratch.  i got that recipe out of the paper about a month ago.  they were really good and the whole batch disappeared from my table.  Peyton made little sandwiches with her roast, potatoes a little gravy and the rolls.  yummmm....

i have printed several recipes that i would like to give a shot in the next week or so;

mexican lime chicken soup  my kids are not big soup fans so i am not sure how this will go over, but it sounds delish.

oven baked garlic parmesan fries  not a huge fan of potatoes but i think these sounds so yummy...panko, parmesan, garlic, olive oil and parsley. what's not to love?  i have potatoes waiting to be used... well potato meet your destiny.

spinach fettuccine  might have a hard time squeaking the spinach past my ratchets, but i think if they closed their eyes they might be surprised.  maybe the bacon will convince them to try it?

crockpot chicken and dumplings   i have been in the mood for some good old fashion comfort food.  you really don't get much more comfort than chicken and dumplings.  if i can do this in my crockpot while i am at work, yahoo!!

slow cooker french dips  when i go to a restaurant for lunch i almost always get a french dip.  i love french dips, we always have these on around halloween.  my friend bethy has a really nummy recipe but it has pepperoccinis in it and i think this one might be better suited to my kiddos.

bacon ranch chicken  i have definitely been on a bacon ranch kick; pull apart bread, potatoes, but seriously those two ingredients go with anything.  my daughter claims she can't chew chicken...she masticates her chicken into a paste...eww!  i wouldn't want to swallow that either.  i am hoping that the bacon and ranch will encourage her to chew a few times and then swallow.

our dinner table almost always has some delicious feast waiting to be consumed.  if you are in the area stop by, there is always more than what my kiddos and i can eat.  see you soon!