The Joy of Not Cooking

            My husband just got back from a business trip and I’m happy, really I am. While away, he is able to dine at fancy restaurants, eat lobster or filet mignon and have it all paid for. I on the other hand, left behind with our three children will dine on leftovers and fast food. However, since not one meal will be home cooked by me, I think every meal is a “Happy Meal”. With my husband away, I get a vacation from cooking. Now that he returned home, I return to the kitchen for our nightly home cooked meals.

            It was not always this way, when we first got married my culinary skills were very limited. In fact, before we got married, I asked my then future husband two very important questions. The answers to these questions I thought would determine our marital bliss. Question 1 – Do you like lamb chops? Since the only thing I could cook was lamb chops. Question 2 – Do you like leftovers? Reheating a chop would be even easier and faster than cooking it. Having answered both these questions the way I hoped he would – hand in hand, we entered the institution of matrimony.

            However, I did not factor my father-in-law into this equation. My father-in-law threw a wrench into my meals of home cooked lamb chops; leftover lamb chops, and had absolutely no idea. You see, my father-in-law was a butcher and having that father-son bond, he wanted to make sure his son did not starve, so he gave us meat and plenty of it. With trepidation, I accepted our first delivery of meat, enough to feed every tenant in our apartment building; I checked and rechecked – no lamb chops in sight! Now the question I asked myself, which I dreaded – what do I do with all this meat? The answer – one that I dreaded even more – Learn To Cook.

 

 

            So, I began my journey into the world of cooking. Knowing I would need help, I turned to the world of television, which at the time did not have a Food Network. I had a handful of chefs to choose from and I choose one whose name I thought summed up our lives at the time, “The Frugal Gourmet.” I could learn how to cook the cheap way, so I welcomed the Frugal Gourmet into my heart and home thru television. He and I became instant and inseparable friends. Over time, I developed cooking skills and found enjoyment in cooking. With the passage of time I bravely answered the door knowing it was my father-in-law bearing meat rather than pretending I was not home. With the passage of time, I have learned a lamb chop from a pork chop. With time, I learned you can cook with parsley rather than just think of it as a cute little decoration on your plate in restaurants. I learned that out of all kitchen appliances, I love my blender the best as it not only grates and chops, it whips up a mighty fine chocolate shake. Over the years, I have come to embrace the idea of using my creativity to make a meal. Right now I have to go embrace my kitchen again as my husband is home and wants a home cooked meal. I’m happy, really I am.