Day 7: You can’t beat Homecooked
Okay, first I have to state that I am not a culinary genius. I’m actually quite proud of myself when I actually cook a meal for my husband without his having to remind me that it’s dinnertime–I tend to snack, then get distracted by other things like my laptop. The next thing I know it’s 8:30 and he’s wondering if he’s going to pass out from low blood sugar, if I’m going to cook, or if he needs to order out a pizza before they close in thirty minutes.
My mom, on the other hand, works a long day (usually around 9-10 hours) at their store, then comes home and cooks dinner for my dad EVERY NIGHT. This after she actually cooks breakfast (my husband is a fan of Carnation Instant Breakfast and cold cereal, which is good because we’re rarely up within an hour of each other). And, to top it off, she–get this–comes home at lunchtime and makes something for their lunch. Every day. Granted lunch is more often than not either reheated leftovers or sandwiches, but my husband only wishes he had it so good.
Maybe I shouldn’t be admitting that.
All my life my mom has always cooked every meal. Granted, eating out on a super tight budget when you have six kids is really not feasible, but I don’t remember having all that many dinners of sandwiches or scrambled eggs. Generally there was a casserole, or some kind of main dish and a vegetable. When I was younger and she had a little more time on her hands she made bread a lot, and she has the most scrumptious granola recipe.
My bread-making skills aren’t too bad, now that I’ve put in some practice. The granola is very time consuming (mostly because it is baked in batches that I have to watch or they burn–because I’m just that kind of flake) and not especially diet friendly. Did I mention it was terrifically tasty? I learned the cooking skills I needed as an adult to prepare meals for myself and whatever family happened to be living with us at the time, which is a huge money saver, and makes me feel good–when I employ those skills.