This is going to be another list of sorts.
I fell in love with cooking sometime after I got married. As I mentioned in one of my prior writings, I love being a wife for the traditional reasons. I love to clean and I love cooking! When I was working for the opera though, there were so many times where cooking fell on my husband. Not that he is a horrible cook, but I take a lot of pride in my meals when I prepare them. My husband will bake like there's no tomorrow...he can definitely give me a run for my money on pies. But I love spending hours in the kitchen.
I became more involved in cooking after my husband was diagnosed with Diabetes type II, when our daughter was a baby. Let me tell you--that was a life-changer. Literally, that first shopping trip after he came home took me hours. I read every single label and did research on every single item I was purchasing just to make sure it was safe for not only my husband but also my children. No sugar, low carbs, low sodium, and on and on. When we moved into our first townhome I started growing my own herbs and then eventually started a small garden of vegetables. My daughter loved going outside and just grabbing a cucumber or tomato and I loved to have the ability to do that.
Cooking has been a huge part of my life. My great-grandmother loved to cook and my grandmother loves to as well. My mother was always making something new for us to try--which never turned out bad, at least not to me! I've been dying to get my hands on our great-grandmother's cookbook for quite some time now because there are a few things that I've made that are similar to her recipes but still not quite right. In any case, I find cooking to be therapeutic. There's a great foreign film called Like Water for Chocolate which focuses on a young girl by the name of Tita who discovers that she has a special talent for cooking, so special in fact that her entire emotions engulf themselves into her cooking--from love to lust to even anger. I like to feel that is true. I always attempt to surround my thoughts with positivity just so that I don't infect my cooking with any bad feelings.
In any case, there are a few dishes that my kids are madly in love with and I'd like to share those with you today. I'm not going to go into the recipes but I will attach links to them if they are available:
47. Chicken Spaghetti
This is actually a meal that I found on the website of Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman. It is a baked spaghetti with chicken and cheese. Done just right, the spaghetti isn't over cooked and the chicken is always tender. My kids absolutely love this and ask for it constantly.
The Pioneer Woman, Chicken Spaghetti
48. Hash brown Casserole
If you are a fan of the hash brown casserole at Cracker Barrel, you will love this one. I literally follow the recipe but with one twist: I make them in ramekins with a variety of mix-ins--bacon, ham, sausage, or veggies! I love it because I can specially make them for each person with their favorite mix-in and it makes just enough so that there aren't too many leftovers.
Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
49. Grandma's Stuffing
You won't find my recipe for this one because it's all in my memory. My first thanksgiving in my apartment was just myself and my son. Like a fool, I cooked a 20 pound turkey--don't even ask me why. But the one thing I wanted to cook was my great-grandma's stuffing. Now of course I asked my mother what ingredients to use. But a recipe like that is all about memory. I used to help my mother mix it together (with my hands!) and I remembered the smells and how it tasted. I just let my senses take over and make my great-grandmother's stuffing. Now I make mine a little differently because I do not use stuffing mix. I actually use bread and make my own stuffing mix. This actually takes longer but like I said, I love being in the kitchen. I take pride in knowing that I'm able to replicate this recipe very well and everyone in my family loves it.
50. Chili
Anyone can make a chili honestly. Not that difficult of a task. But can you make it so your kids eat it? Honestly I was afraid the first time I did it. I didn't think my kids would enjoy it at all. I don't have a real recipe for this--I make it differently every time. Whatever beans I have, whatever meat I have, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and my variety of seasonings. Chili is that one meal I end up making when we are running out of food, running out of money, and just need something that will last a little while. I always feel accomplished when I make chili because I know that the family enjoys it and it will keep us going for a while.
I could go on and on but I think these are the most popular recipes in my house currently. Just remember what ever you are cooking, just cook it with love and with care. Take care of yourself!
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