Sunday, January 23, 2005

Cooking...an update

NOTE: Ummmm, I notice a lot of you lurking around and not commenting on anything. Just because you don't post anything doesn't mean you weren't here. The first step to overcoming an addiction (checking out the site) is admitting it and the second step is posting a comment!!!! All you have to do is click on Comments and then once that window comes up click on Post a Comment. You can post annonymously without creating an account, just sign your name to your comment. Really, it need not be anything intelligent or deep. It will make me feel more loved and special. Perhaps I can stop my therapy then. Thank you...now read on for the exciting adventures of Mama Duck's Kitchen Follies!!!

Well, it’s been almost a week since my pathetic cry for recipes and I thought you all deserved to hear about my endeavors. I’ve learned quickly that the best time to cook is the time when Grace is conveniently MIA. She has an extreme interest in anything going on in the kitchen as both of her grandmothers can testify to after our stay in Batavia. It is not enough to simply observe from the safety of her highchair, she must be held and overseeing everything that happens on the stove and in the oven (last night she and Daddy sat on the floor watching the cheese on the frozen pizza bake…not much of a plot, but hey, it kept her happy).

This weekend I worked on two recipes that I received. Saturday morning was Cousin Brittany’s what I’ll call “Diner Eggs and Potatoes.” The ingredients and directions were simple to follow and the outcome was delicious and nutritious. Basically the meal consisted of diced potatoes, eggs, some ham, onion and melted cheese. Brandon and Grace were both impressed (although I think that Brandon would have been more so had I not roused him from his slumber to assist in the final stages as I had a bit of a casualty with the slicer/shredder disk for the food processor in post production…glad to say my finger is still intact) and we will definitely make this one again!

Tonight we tried Kerry and Parker’s Beef Stew. A bit more prep work this time which included me learning that you can actually buy stew beef that is not pre-cut for a much more reasonable price that the pre-cut stuff, purchasing of oregano and basil (still need to buy a spice rack!!!!) and a lot of cutting of veggies (none of which included any digits being carved!). Once the meat was browned and all of the ingredients were added to the pot it was a simple 1.5 hours of simmering. Another hit! Grace loved it and was a complete red mess by the time she was done eating and Brandon even wiped his bowl clean with the bread we had!

This week’s attempts will include Dan and Jenny’s Chicken and a Spinach Lasagna recipe I received for my wedding shower from my first marriage…no, I haven’t even TRIED it and it’s been in my recipe box since 1998. I told you…I’m now making an honest effort to get this cooking thing going!

Please feel free to continue to mail (
texnprncss73@yahoo.com) or post recipes in the Comment section…I love them! I promise this whole blog won’t be dedicated to cooking, but I thought I’d give you my progress report for the first week.

Cheers and love-