Tonight, in between fighting off bees and cleaning trash from the new house, I decided to cook a good dinner. That urge doesn't happen very often. My first thought was fried chicken using crackers and eggs. Jared thought we should bake the chicken to keep it healthy. I got online to find a recipe for the fried chicken, (Jared was outside or he could have told me what to do - he is the cook), but could not find one quick enough so I went with his idea to bake it. I only had to bake 3 because the boys were not home. Jared wanted his salt and peppered, Ashlyn and I like lemon-pepper. I got those going, put the potatoes in the Wal-Mart sack and put them in the microwave and fried the okra. (Thankful to have something fried. What's a meal without something fattening?) As I was cooking, I started reminiscing about how my menu has changed over the years.
Dating years 1994 - 1996: Jared would come over and my specialty was Schwan's chicken strips and french fries. I did not know he did not care much for fried food. That's what happens when you start to fall in love you will do anything for the other person - he ate fried food and I went into his room where he kept a huge snake. We also frequented McDonalds and ordered the double cheeseburgers and french fries. He let me have his fries most of the time. I learned that he did not like Burger King so we settled for McD's.
Married 1996 - Fire Academy 1997: We lived in a travel trailer with mini-cabinets, mini-refrigerator/freezer and mini-stove/oven and microwave. I did not think there was more to a meal than Hamburger Helper and beans. If it did not come out of a box, chances are I did not know how to cook it. I did know how to throw together some spaghetti, though.
Fire Academy 1997 - College completion 1997: While Jared was at Fire Academy and I was living with his parents and going to college I ate Ramen Noodles daily. Ralph, D'Uan and I enjoyed these but Jared did not want to eat it when he came home on the weekends so his mom would usually bake chicken, I'd make a salad and we would have baked potatoes and beans. I loved this meal. I remember one time Jared made chicken parmesan and to us that was gourmet.
1997 - 1999: We moved into our first (rent) house and did not realize what all went into establishing a kitchen. Our first trip to the grocery store was to the Kroger in Balch Springs. (This was before there was a Wal-Mart nearby.) We had to have everything from salt and pepper shakers to meat. We liked Kroger because they doubled and tripled coupons. Some of my first memories are of the late nights that we went grocery shopping. Here I continued to bake the chicken that I soaked in italian dressing and had sides. I also made chicken gravy with toast a lot. I did not like to cook because it did not come natural to me. I think we continued having Hamburger Helper and spaghetti until Jared finally told me how much he did not want these things anymore. To this day, he prefers not to have any of these type of meals.
2000 - present: I don't feel my cooking has come very far. And, Jared has become pickier. He does not want casseroles and these are my favorite things to make and eat. Don't get me wrong - he will eat whatever I cook and never complains - but I know that he would rather have something better. I feel that my menu is so limited because I am picky and cannot ever get any new ideas. I love cooks. com and visit there when I need something.
I was inspired to write this blog just because I was thinking about it as I prepared dinner. A dinner that still brings back good memories of living with his parents while we were trying to grow up, go to college and adjust to being married.
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4 comments:
You should try tasteofhome.com also. They have tons of good 'regular' recipes. They even have a search where you can type in a main ingredient that you have on hand, and it will give you lots of recipes with that ingredient.
Hehehe...I am so glad to know that I am not the only one that is challenged in this department. Good lawd, I hate to cook!
I totally understand! I am a very picky eater as well as my family and I am so sick of the same old things that I fix over and over again. Half the time my kids won't even eat my dinners so I give a choice, they can either eat it or have a pb and j sandwich, they usually choice the pb and j.
What a cool timeline...walk down food memory lane.
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