The first time I've cooked in...........ages.

My husband certainly didn't marry me for my cooking.  There was no 'getting-to-his-heart-through-his-stomach' in this love story.  And Amen for that.  Or it might not have worked out.

As a girl, I watched my mom cook us home-made meals every night.  I learned how to make a few simple things, and helped her here and there.  So I'm not completely useless in the kitchen.  And I don't burn everything I make, either.  Actually, I very rarely burn food.  Cooking was just never something I was really that interested in.  Besides, my job (as my parents told me from a very early age) was to be a good student, go to college, get a degree and hang it on my wall, start a career doing whatever I wanted to do, and make my own money; and if a man ever mistreated me or told me what I could or could not do, I could tell him to stick it where the sun don't shine and I would be able to move on and take care of myself.  Well...my mom added the last part about the man.  Although my dad certainly agreed.  We (my sister and I) were raised to be strong-willed women with minds of our own, and my mom taught us to one day marry men that would appreciate and respect that.  College was not an option.  We were going.  And we'd better get good grades, too.  I think my mom was trying to get us away from that traditional role of the Cuban housewife that she had grown up around.  Women of her mother's generation just didn't have many other choices.  As the oldest daughter of 10, my mom's mom was pulled out of school when she was still a young girl to help raise her brothers and sisters.  She would cry and beg her parents to let her go to school.  She really wanted that opportunity which she was denied, and I guess she passed that sentiment along to my mom.  I guess that's where my mom was coming from.  I suppose it's because parents always want more for their children.  School was my first and primary job.  Around the house, we had to help my mom with chores and keep our rooms clean.  But only if we were done with our homework first.  By the time I was in high school, my room would get messy and my mom rarely asked me for help around the house since I was so busy with band and honor societies and concerts and college applications.  No time for cooking lessons.

I love my refrigerator magnets:

My mom printed something for herself a while back and put it on the fridge.  It reads:  "The maid is off today. If you want something, get it yourself."

I think this sums it up pretty well:  When I was going off to college, my mom asked me if I wanted her to buy me an iron.  I said "what for?"

Don't get me wrong--I do like cooking.  Sometimes.  Before we got married, Steve and I would talk about how nice it would be to have our own place and cook in our own kitchen.  We did pretty well the first year--we cooked at home most of the week.  Then we settled into life and work and got tired and lazy.  Home cooked meals became less frequent.  But, every now and then, I get inspired to experiment in the kitchen.  Mostly in the summer months, when school is out and I get bored.  Sometimes good things come of my boredom.  Like a clean house.  It has been really messy for the last few months.  Things piled up after my accident and hand injury, and once I got better I got busy with work and the piles just kept getting more mountainous.  Now that it's officially summer break, I've already made some progress.  (I'm the neat freak and organizer in the relationship, although you wouldn't be able to tell that by the look of my spare bedroom).  But, I digress.  The last time I cooked something besides pasta was months ago.  Steve likes to cook (another Amen) and frequent restaurants with me, so that's why we haven't starved.  I borrowed a book of chicken recipes from my sister (although she says 'stole' since I didn't ask for permission, a minor detail between sisters) and found an easy dinner idea I wanted to try:  honey garlic chicken wings.  Since I don't own a BBQ grill, I changed the recipe to suit my available utensils (and limited cooking skills) to a honey garlic chicken stir-fry with mushrooms and steamed rice. 

Honey Garlic Chicken with Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients (makes two servings)
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup steak sauce (I used A1 thick and hearty)
1/8 cup honey
1 garlic clove, minced
Baby portobello mushrooms
1 cup rice

How-to

1. Start cooking the rice
2. Slice two chicken breasts into small cubes
3.  Begin to heat some olive oil and minced garlic in a pan over medium-high heat
4. Mix the steak sauce, honey, and minced garlic in a bowl.
5. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and mushrooms.
6. Once chicken and mushrooms are cooked, add the sauce and let simmer for a few minutes.
7. Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!

Nothing like the smell of olive oil and garlic sauteing in a pan...

                                  

Saucy!

 

Simmer....

 Eat up!

Not too bad for a self-proclaimed 'domestically challenged' woman.


Next time, I will return to my roots:  Mojo chicken with tostones and white rice!