Vote of Confidence

Today while at work - yes, I do have to help pay those grocery bills for all the crazy food ideas I get - I was asked what kind of book I was writing and why. After giving a brief rundown of my reasons, my co-worker asked if I was interested in going on the next Food Network Star TV show or another show like it. So here is my theory on this - and of course, this is just my own humble opinion...

My whole life I have been cooking for the people I love. When I first started with my Easy Bake Oven, it was for my Mom and Daddy (biggest fans, of course). Then it was for my 2 brothers who, bless there hearts, never, ever turned down my food (or critiqued it). They were just happy to get more food, since they were growing boys. As a teen, my Mom quickly saw my talent in the kitchen and put me to work cooking for the family, and why not? She was tired of doing it and I loved it. A classic "Win-Win", right? I soon realized I could win the hearts of my dates by cooking their favorites. I have cooked for seniors who just needed a friendly ear to listen to them and homeless who just needed a meal to fill their stomachs. I've cooked for weddings and funerals, for friends when they were sick and friends when they were celebrating. I have put on my fair share of parties and have been hired to cater events, large and small. I have baked birthday cakes for family and a cake for my Daddy the night before he passed away. I have cooked for church potlucks and finicky little eaters. I have cooked for my best friend/love of my life and the children we love so dearly. I have made fancy dinners as well as chicken nuggets and fries. I made enough brown-bag lunches to compete with almost any mom. And through most every single, solitary meal that I've prepared, I've made it for someone who appreciated it and generally enjoyed it. So WHY, I ask, would I want to go up in front of a firing squad of professionals just so they can pick me apart and tell me that I may or may not have what the tv-watching nation wants to see, when I know in my heart that I already have what my family loves and appreciates.

My point in all this is not to sell yourself short. The next time you think that the meal you create is simply mediocre, ask yourself this - Who are you cooking for? Why are you cooking for them? And are they really complaining? I'd just bet you hands down that YOU are their star. - I'm just sayin!

Blog Block!

Here it is only four days in to this lovely endeavor and already, I can't seem to reach into my creative side to pull a witty blog out of my hat for nothing. While I was waking up at 5am, I had several moments of creativity - or should I say my cloudy dreams wrestling with reality. If it were not for that single, solitary bean and the prospects of a morning conversation with Juan Valdez, I would perhaps still be laying there. But alas, here I am, babbling on with nothing but mere useless words with no intent to inspire even the lowliest creatures.

Lists! Lists! Lists! Is that not what one does when they are in this state of utter confusion? So my morning routine is: roll out of bed, get my daughters lunch ready, press the ever loving button of joy that sits on my counter and exudes liquid caffeine and hit all my vast forms of electronic communication. Between e-mail, twitter, facebook and now this blog, I think I have reached a new level of "time-sucked-away-by-the-computer"! So, Juan, what do you say we get this ball rolling and put together what it is we should to do today? First off on that list, the morning walk. I must say, I thought it was going to be super-hard getting back into the swing of things, but walking with my husband and the dog has proved to make those walks far more enjoyable. Yesterday, I did accomplish finding clarity in my over-sized pantry, which in turn allowed me to produce - yep you got it - another list (grocery) of the things I don't have and the things that were lurking in the deep, dark, pantry abyss, all screaming to be released to the nearest trash receptacle. I labeled the shelves and organized all the oddities that most people would not find, nor wonder what to do with, nor care about in their pantry, and was still able to get most of my other chores done, bake cookies and make dinner. So in my eyes I will pat myself on the back and say "Well done my faithful blogger, well done"!

Today I will be making white chocolate bread, a yummy treat that my dear sister friend passed over and quickly found "star" status on - yep, you guessed it - the list of "will you make this". And no worries, as this WILL be going in the cookbook! You know, I find it kind of funny that one minute I am at a loss for words and then I scroll my eyes up and Bam! there you go, the block I was so worried about turned out to not be just a moment of wasted cyberspace after all.

Maybe I need to discuss my morning "lists" with Juan on a regular basis - I'm just saying...