She's Pretty Handy

When I married Himself, I didn't know how to cook.

I knew how to make a salad and set the table. Those were my jobs at home at supper time! When I married Himself, I didn't know a thing about cooking dinner and, may I just say it? The man liked to eat cooked food.

I mean, when it would get too hot outside to fire up the stove or the oven, my Mom would place one of my favorite meals on the table - lunch meats, cheeses, liverwurst, crackers, olives, pickles, and radishes or green onions. We'd smear the crackers with mayo and sit and chat while assembling our light dinners.

When I married Himself, I put the same spread before him and he devoured it. Then he folded his hands and asked, "So, what's for supper?"

The one thing that saved me was the recipe cards my Mom ordered for me. Each month I would receive a variety of recipes, complete with pictures, ranging from salads to desserts to main courses. I learned how to cook from these cards, which means I cooked with all fresh ingredients.

About two years into our marriage I was at the store one day and spotted a box of Hamburger Helper. I remembered my Mom making it once or twice and it was REALLY easy, so I brought some home and made it for supper.

He.

Flipped.

Out.

The way he tells it, his mother made it all the time and I was to never let it cross our threshold again (I still haven't to this day). His Mom tells him that his memory is exaggerated because she really didn't make it that often. I believe her!


All this to say, I wanted to make sure Ty, Kelly, and Glenna knew how to cook before they left our home.



I knew that I could never ingrain hundreds of recipes into their brains, so I taught them basic cooking skills and a few family favorites, then I taught them how to correctly follow a recipe.





These are photos from a little something Glenna threw together the other night, known as Chicken Picata. It has fresh lemon slices, capers, and fresh chopped parsley in a wine sauce.


Fresh asparagus, sauteed lightly in olive oil with salt and pepper.

Here, she got a craving and made some pico de gallo from the Pioneer Woman's book:
Oh, I'm loving this. I can leave dinner plans with her and it turns out so well!

As my dearly departed Dad would say, "She's as handy as a knob on a door."

Yum!