Thoughts on Cooking

My plan for this blog when I first started it was to continue it beyond the wedding and to share about our married life and all of the DIY projects that come with starting a new life together.  Unfortunately, purchasing a coop is a much more lengthy process than I had anticipated …meaning all of my projects have been on hold in order to spare my mother-in-law from the insanity and mess that can sometimes result.  Thus the blog has been neglected for far too long.

So I’d like to share with you another marriage related hobby I’ve been taking on.  I’d say the biggest change in my lifestyle since getting married has been cooking on a regular basis.  I went from cooking maybe once every other week to cooking 3-4 times a week on average.  Its so much more satisfying to cook when you have someone to cook for, and like they say, practice makes perfect!  I’d say I’ve come a long way in my cooking skills and although its totally different from crafts, (my mind comprehends the construction of objects so much more easily than it does the mad scientist chemistry that is food preparation) I now actually get a similar enjoyment from it to what a get out of my art and craft projects.

One of my most proud new dishes is pork chops!  The amateur gourmet blog has been most helpful to my food education, and I found my pork chop recipe from that site.  My success with this recipe also lead to the purchase of my favorite new kitchen tool too – my brand new cast iron skillet!!  It requires a bit of maintenance, but its worth it because it makes a huge difference.  Once I switched from a regular pan to the cast iron, the chops came out much more moist and flavorful (I think the same will be true for steak).  For sides I like to serve Spanish yellow rice with some sort of steamed veggie or a mixed green salad.  Maybe later I’ll post some pictures =P

Check out these tips for cast iron skillet care =)

how to clean cast iron

how to season cast iron