For those of you who know me know that
I am not much of a cooker. I actually
have done more since September then
I probably have in several years. It is
just really hard to cook for one person
so it has been easier to grab something
here or there and make the most of it.
When I married at 20 I was not much of
a cook then either. The reason then was
a bit different, I did not know how to
cook. See my Mom was a stay at home
Mom until I was in the 11th grade. But
even then she was still home to cook
our breakfast before heading to school
and there to cook dinner. Plus, she
would rather not have anyone in her
kitchen misplacing things or making
a mess. With those reasons, I never
cooked.
After marrying, I learned and became
fairly good at it. I cooked my children’s
breakfast before they headed to school
and I headed to work. And after work I
cooked a nice dinner, helped with
homework, started laundry and picked
up things all before going to bed.
Years after my divorce my son moved in
with his Dad, he was 12, wanted that Dad,
male bonding thing. At the same time
my daughter moved out on her own
(only to come back several times),
she was 18. I enjoyed it in some ways
and missed it in others. But one way
that I enjoyed the kids having moved
out was that I did not have to get up
and cook breakfast, I did not have to
cook dinner if I did not want to. Learning
to cook dinner for one was an adjustment
and just became easier not to worry with it.
When my grandson was 1 year old, my
daughter and Caleb moved in with me.
I told Amber that I did not cook much
anymore. After a week of living with me
she came to me and said “ Mom, you said
you did not cook much anymore, you did
not say that you did not cook at all anymore”!
Recently I have changed a lot of ways that
I eat. I started on fruits, veggies and
chicken. I have pretty much cut beef out
of my diet due to stomach issues and a
lot of what I eat is organic. So…that
required me cooking again! I cut starches
and sugar out of my diet also. This was
going really well until my surgery on my
hands a month ago and I could not cook
with stitches and bandages on both hands.
So I have to say that I have fell off that
wagon for the past month. I am working
on getting back on it but the Holidays
make that harder.
I tell you all this to make a point….I have
been cooking more for several months,
lots more. I have also tried a few different
things in my cooking adventures that I
wanted to share with you.
Roasted asparagus – not something that
I have ever made a habit to eat. But the
other night I cooked some fresh asparagus
and it was really good. I used a recipe from
Emeril Lagasse.
Ingredients
2 pounds asparagus, tough ends
trimmed, rinsed and patted dry
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large glass baking dish, toss the asparagus with the olive oil and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss. Bake until the asparagus are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the stalks, stirring twice. Remove from the oven and toss with the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Monkey Bread – I cheated on this
one and made it really easy.
A small batch (in a small bunt cake pan)
2 cans of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls –
cut each roll in fours
Layer the pieces in the pan and then
I poured a bit of melted butter over
that, adding more cinnamon. (yummy).
Continue this until all pieces are used
from both cans. Bake according to the
directions on the cans. Be sure and not
over cook. Remove from pan and pour
the icing over the top of the bread.
This was a hit at work!
Pecan Crusted Tilapia –
Tilapia filets with one side coated with
honey mustard. Press that side into a cup
of finely chopped pecans. Bake at 400 for
about 15 mins.
Fast, simple and so easy. If I have to
cook I am all about easy and fast!
Thanks for stopping in,
Pam
I am not much of a cooker. I actually
have done more since September then
I probably have in several years. It is
just really hard to cook for one person
so it has been easier to grab something
here or there and make the most of it.
When I married at 20 I was not much of
a cook then either. The reason then was
a bit different, I did not know how to
cook. See my Mom was a stay at home
Mom until I was in the 11th grade. But
even then she was still home to cook
our breakfast before heading to school
and there to cook dinner. Plus, she
would rather not have anyone in her
kitchen misplacing things or making
a mess. With those reasons, I never
cooked.
After marrying, I learned and became
fairly good at it. I cooked my children’s
breakfast before they headed to school
and I headed to work. And after work I
cooked a nice dinner, helped with
homework, started laundry and picked
up things all before going to bed.
Years after my divorce my son moved in
with his Dad, he was 12, wanted that Dad,
male bonding thing. At the same time
my daughter moved out on her own
(only to come back several times),
she was 18. I enjoyed it in some ways
and missed it in others. But one way
that I enjoyed the kids having moved
out was that I did not have to get up
and cook breakfast, I did not have to
cook dinner if I did not want to. Learning
to cook dinner for one was an adjustment
and just became easier not to worry with it.
When my grandson was 1 year old, my
daughter and Caleb moved in with me.
I told Amber that I did not cook much
anymore. After a week of living with me
she came to me and said “ Mom, you said
you did not cook much anymore, you did
not say that you did not cook at all anymore”!
Recently I have changed a lot of ways that
I eat. I started on fruits, veggies and
chicken. I have pretty much cut beef out
of my diet due to stomach issues and a
lot of what I eat is organic. So…that
required me cooking again! I cut starches
and sugar out of my diet also. This was
going really well until my surgery on my
hands a month ago and I could not cook
with stitches and bandages on both hands.
So I have to say that I have fell off that
wagon for the past month. I am working
on getting back on it but the Holidays
make that harder.
I tell you all this to make a point….I have
been cooking more for several months,
lots more. I have also tried a few different
things in my cooking adventures that I
wanted to share with you.
Roasted asparagus – not something that
I have ever made a habit to eat. But the
other night I cooked some fresh asparagus
and it was really good. I used a recipe from
Emeril Lagasse.
Ingredients
2 pounds asparagus, tough ends
trimmed, rinsed and patted dry
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large glass baking dish, toss the asparagus with the olive oil and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss. Bake until the asparagus are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the stalks, stirring twice. Remove from the oven and toss with the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Monkey Bread – I cheated on this
one and made it really easy.
A small batch (in a small bunt cake pan)
2 cans of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls –
cut each roll in fours
Layer the pieces in the pan and then
I poured a bit of melted butter over
that, adding more cinnamon. (yummy).
Continue this until all pieces are used
from both cans. Bake according to the
directions on the cans. Be sure and not
over cook. Remove from pan and pour
the icing over the top of the bread.
This was a hit at work!
Pecan Crusted Tilapia –
Tilapia filets with one side coated with
honey mustard. Press that side into a cup
of finely chopped pecans. Bake at 400 for
about 15 mins.
Fast, simple and so easy. If I have to
cook I am all about easy and fast!
Thanks for stopping in,
Pam
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