Monday, March 12, 2012

1/4 cup of crazy, 3/4 cup of love

due to circumstances of life I am very delayed in posting this....
Good Idea
My mom is my most favorite part of Christmas, and she has been kind enough come to visit us every year we have lived on the east coast (and mostly when we lived on the west coast); and since she also has mad skillz in the kitchen and since we just happened to recently acquire a stand-up freezer... I thought we might cook while she was visiting us over the holidays. And since my work is on winter recess the week between Christmas and New Years, I thought we might cook ALL week. Which meant food shopping at nearly every grocery store in the area for various ingredients at all times of day and night.

Ma and me after our visit to the Pittsburgh Public Market - totes awesome. 

The kicker... some of you readers will already know this, but for those of you who don't... I do NOT cook. Ok, I make good french toast, great mac&cheese (from a box, extra butter, everyone knows that right?) and last but not least I can make myself the perfect over hard egg, which really isn't that difficult - but f*c% if any restaurant can make one when ordered without "breaking the yolk"....

but for realz - I am mostly nervous about handling raw meat, my timing is always off: main dish ready before or after (exponentially) than side dishes. blah...blah...blah. and I always said, "I'll marry a man that cooks" or at least I thought it in my head even though I wasn't sure if I would ever get married. Although I did end up marrying a man who cooks, (and ladies I think you can relate to this) I think he is a bit burnt out on doing all the cooking...

SO

... my 2012 resolution is to make one dinner once a week (preferably one that can be parsed out into dinner one night and some frozen for another night).

My mom knowing all this (and loving me anyways) arrived and did her best to teach me how to make things/ and she made some stuff that I know even if she showed me how a hundred times I would never figure it out; but mostly she showed me how to make stuff. We made lasagna (which I think I can probably make, once we run out, which might be awhile), with homemade marinara sauce (which I won't make); also with her assistance I made a chicken meal for the family.

Ma's homemade sauce

just liked the way these noodles looked

putting all the pieces of the puzzle together

  the chicken I made with her help

and three months in I am still actually making dinner at least once a week. I've even managed to make  two quiches (we ate one and froze the other), and together Michael and I made a Mexi-Rolle as we are calling it. My wonderful cook friend Monica (Shout Out) gave me the recipe (Holla if interested) and it looks gross as all get out when you are making it, but it is f-ing YUMMY!

I didn't know how much I heart onions, but they are so good in everything. 

Bacon, Mushrooms, and Onions for the Quiche. and I don't know about yours, but my real man eats quiche. 

doesn't look too good here, shredded chicken and soupy sauce, but SO good when it all comes together. 
So... feel free to leave a comment and I welcome suggestions and reciepies. Easy and able to Freeze.