RECIPE EXCHANGE!!! "What's Cooking?"

Hey Sis,

I am sitting here wondering how many of you CAN cook, enjoy cooking, would like to cook, but don't know how, etc etc... For so many reasons, cooking is a valuable and necessary skill to have or acquire. When I was young I was always so "busy". I never had "time" to spend in the kitchen with my mother. I played sports, I was active in school, and on and on... Cooking and learning to cook, were not priorities to me. As I got older, I began to wish more and more, that I had spent more time in the kitchen with my mother. She could cook anything, from scratch - and deliciously. (*Side note - so often we put things off because we think we can do it "later".... not realizing "later" is not guaranteed to any of us. Don't put off on tomorrow, what you can do today, especially when it comes to your family and loved ones.*)
For the most part, I have learned how to cook by trying new recipes from recipe books, a few really great recipes have come from friends and family, and trial & error. I enjoy cooking. It used to mean even more to me when my brother was here because I would always cook and try new recipes and he was my guinea pig. (For those of you who don't know, I lost my little brother last year, Sept 2010, and losing him almost took me out, but one day at a time, right...)He'd always be there to tell me yay or nay... I don't know if I can really cook or if he was just the best brother in the world, or maybe a combination of the two, but he always loved my dishes. For a while it was hard for me to go in the kitchen because I associated it with him so acutely. I've managed to gradually work my way back into the kitchen, but from time to time and depending on what I'm making, it's not unusual for me to end up in tears.  Oh boy, I've really gone off track here! Okay, back to the topic at hand!

There is a ton of information out there on the detriment of fast food, over processed foods, microwaveable meals, etc. Many diseases, conditions, and even obesity have become epidemics. Much of that is tied in to our diets and the foods that we are eating. We have to get back in the kitchen. We need to be preparing our food. We have to pay attention to what we are putting in our bodies and our children's bodies.

The benefits of eating home cooked meals are not only physical (health and fitness), but mental, spiritual, and emotional. For one, cooking is fun. It's almost an art, if you will. There is so much opportunity to be creative and the end product is your work of art. Trying new dishes and experimenting in the kitchen, especially knowing that what you are doing is adding years to your life and restoring your (and your family's) health, ought to make you feel good!

In addition, dinnertime can be such a bonding experience, as it was for my brother and I. It gives you and your loved ones, whether it be your siblings, husband, children, parents, friends, etc a chance to sit and to talk, to eat and to laugh. In this BUSY world, we need to take more time to really sit and enjoy one another - especially parents and children.

Make sure you TALK to your children. Make sure they know they can TALK to you. Sitting down together for dinner is an excellent opportunity to slow down and to "check-in" with one another. In many homes, dinner is prepared (or purchased) and it's like everyone for themselves - one person eats in the dining room, the kids in front of the tv, and maybe even another in the office... Let's try and get back to sitting down as a family and eating at lease ONE meal per day together. For those of you who really see that as a challenge - start small. Even if you start with once or twice/week. Something is so much better than nothing - and it will grow from there. Let's not forget either, to bring our daughters (and sons) in the kitchen with us, no matter how "busy" they THINK they are!

Sometimes you don't cook, because you don't know WHAT to cook... tired of having the same thing over and over. It can get monotonous. And that brings us to what this post is really ALL about! =)

I was thinking it'd be great idea to do a RECIPE EXCHANGE! Let's share our FAVORITE recipes with each other, thereby expanding our individual repertoires. I'm talking your dish - you know the one you are KNOWN for. The one people ask you to bring to each and every event - the tried, tested, and true! Share the dish your family loves, the one you love, the kids love - Oh, but don't think you can only share one. Maybe today you share one (or two!), but later this week or month or whenever, you come across another tasty dish - come back and share! We want to try it too! I myself am not big on desserts - but I know a lot of you are so don't leave those recipes out! Who knows, if it's really good, I might even give it a try. And before I forget, when you share, let's share in a manner that helps even the most inexperienced of chefs! Break it down, ingredient by ingredient and step by step! I am so excited about this - I can't wait to try all the yummy recipes that I am sure you guys have to share! Let's roll our sleeves up and get busy! Hey, and if you try a recipe come back and share your experience - how did it go? Was it a hit --- or a miss, lol? Let's have fun with it!

LET'S TALK!

What is your favorite recipe to prepare? 

(remember to break it down so that a person who has no experience can walk in the kitchen with your recipe and instructions and cook up a storm!)