Throwing Things Together

With my wife’s day booked with taking care of our baby and a myriad of other things, the usual routine when I get home after work is to spend time with our son and to get dinner ready. It is sometimes a difficult decision as to what to do first… should I hold my son for a little bit or get dinner in the oven and hold him afterward or do I hold him before and after? I am a sucker for my son so it is usually the third option.

Thankfully, I am able to throw something decent together pretty fast. This is largely because I paid attention (although it may not have seemed like it at the time) to my mom when I was growing up watching her pull together dinner when she got home from work. While I am not nearly as good as she is, I do my best to get things done quickly and everyone fed at a reasonable time. Given my work schedule, reasonable is any time before 8:00 pm.

My wife is still baffled at times by how fast I am able to get things done (not on chicken strip nights but other evenings) but it is something that I have become used to over the years. It all comes down to the simple fact of knowing what things go together and using as few ingredients and steps as possible. I know how to follow a recipe and still do on occasion, but that takes longer and during the work week I don’t have the extra time. This is also why I don’t bake.

At the same time, I guess that you could say that I do have a few ‘recipes’ as there are combinations that I use regularly using the measuring technique of shake, dump, sprinkle, and cover. So far, nothing has been really bad. Some meals are more unique than others but they have at least been edible. It is all about knowing what flavors go together and it works for me just don’t ask me for exact measurements.  

It is a routine and a way of doing things that continues to work for us. Sure there are nights when I pick something up but knowing what ingredients work well together gives us the option. Maybe if I enjoyed cooking I would spend those few extra minutes but at this point I doubt it as the more time I spend in the kitchen, the more time I am away from my smiling baby boy. So I am just going to continue throwing things together.

Brought Together By The Gobble Gobble

I thought about posting something early this morning for the Thanksgiving holiday but after giving it some thought I decided to hold off until the evening. I made this decision because of the simple fact that the clichés surrounding this holiday have a strong foundation in truth. There were several things up in the air this year and you really never know what situations could have come up to give a little extra flavor to the festivities.

Our plan for the day was straightforward, we headed to my mother-in-law’s house to spend the day there and do our best to create another great memory for her. But first it was time to turn on the oven and create something to bring to the meal. As always, there was no recipe to be followed and once the Brussel sprouts were prepped I just looked around the kitchen for the things that I could add to make it taste somewhat edible. In the end, it turned out to be halfway decent.

We got to the house just after noon with food already out and the marathon of eating began almost immediately. With various football games echoing the background (with the occasional enthusiastic gesture highlighting the action) we all enjoyed the day and prepared the day long dinner. I guess we can be thankful for an uneventful day filled with food and family.

As we finished cleaning and began packing things up to head out the door, we decided to swing by and see the rest of my wife’s family. A slightly dangerous move as we would be walking into more food and an insistence to try at least a few things on delectable display. While we were, for the most part, able to stave off many of the treats that lay before us, we did manage to top off our stomachs.

While food always plays a big part in this holiday, it was a great time from beginning to end when we were able to see family. Both those that we had seen not long ago and those whom we have been unable to connect with for months. It was a warm and relaxing day full of food and family which is all anyone can really hope for. And with so many things to be thankful for, there couldn’t have been a better year for all of this to come together.

There is a heck of a lot to be thankful for this year. More so than in previous years (especially those of recent memory). There have been major changes and minor ones with plenty more on the way. Throughout it all we have had the support of family and friends and that is what I am most thankful for this year.

Time To Start Cooking Again

For some time, my wife and I had gotten away from cooking but we are starting to slowly get back into it. While there have been the quick meals thrown together on a number of nights I would really call it cooking. For many, they would consider what I do multiple times a week as making dinner, some would call it cooking, I just think of it as getting things done as quickly as possible while still making it taste pretty good.

I have always been a person who would throw things together without really following a recipe (the only exceptions being when I would be backing something). Directions just slow me down and I am a firm believer that as long as you know what flavors go together and the rough proportions needed to create flavors there is no need to go step by step. Everyone has their own method of doing this and, over time, you understand approximately how much your “pinch of salt” really is and what a “single” scoop is using a regular spoon.

I guess it is just something that I have picked up over the years watching my mom put things together when she got home from work. I have tried to show my wife this method and she has watched me many times but it is not something that is picked up quickly. However, my wife, regardless of what she says, knows what she is doing in the kitchen. It is a completely different way of doing things but it works for her.

The fact that we have completely different ways of going about things in the kitchen is a great situation. While many nights I can quickly throw something together, sometimes that can leave a limited selection of options given the usual time constraints. My wife, on the other hand, is rather methodical in her approach which while it takes her a little longer to make something it gives her greater flexibility in what she can make. Essentially, she has much more patience when it comes to cooking.

Now, everything that I have just written is something that you have heard me say before but I thought it was worth repeating. So, as we return to really cooking in the kitchen and making dinner on a more regular basis, I hope to record some of the successes, and some of the less successful, dishes that we make in the coming months. Maybe this would also help with my first resolution but we will have to see. Are there any dishes/meal, especially healthy ones, that you enjoy and that you would like to see us, read about our, attempt? Let me know in the comments below.