Becoming Betty Crocker

 I grew up at home where my mom did some good cooking and whenever we had a potluck somewhere, her food was on the top of the request list. My dad cooked from time to time also, but it was mom's cooking that kept us a little plump. I was encouraged to get in the kitchen and watch her, but it was never really as consistent as it could have been. After I left home for college, I would cook occasionally for my roommates or company that we may have had. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, but I guess being in college you were just happy to get something that did not include Ramen noodles. After graduation, I lived the single life for a while, where cooking was an option. Since there was no one to feed but me, sometimes I would cook or just grab something from my favorite Chinese restaurant down the street. I realize now that it was from the grab-n-go menu that I ate most of my meals .  I wasn't serious about cooking until I got engaged. That is when I became a little frustrated with myself, because I realized that I had wasted years on take-out when I could have been perfecting my cooking skills. I needed to get more acquainted with the kitchen and I needed to do it quick.

When I made my first meal for Mr. Awesome during our courtship, everything that I thought that I could cook well turned out to be an embarrassing mess. I couldn't believe how the things that I had previously cooked decently looked like something from a kid's play kitchen. I was becoming nervous thinking that he was going to wonder if we were going to live a life of malnourishment. He was very nice about the whole thing though. I must say that from then I have gotten a lot more practice and have perfected some of those and other dishes. Before Mr. Awesome and I got married, I remember him comforting me during one of my "trial" meals saying that he was not marrying because of my cooking skills, but because of me.:-) I must say that some dishes have become second nature to me and others are still a work in progress.  Speaking to other new brides, I understand that this is all a part of the progress and I am on my way. I am very thankful to God that my hubby cooks a mean dish himself and is patient as we learn new recipes together. I am definitely on the hunt for new ideas, please share them in the comments below. :-)