Last night I broke my two-month cooking hiatus and actually prepared a scrumptious dinner for my husband, a dinner whose contents never saw the inside of a can and required forty minutes of face time with the oven. Betty Crocker better watch her back, is all I'm saying.
This is my second attempt at this dish; the first was in October and involved melting the face off our meat thermometer, so the fact that I didn't set off any smoke detectors this time around is reason enough to call yesterday's efforts a success. It's also a pretty simple recipe; all I did was slice some carrots and potatoes, toss the pork slab into my Pyrex glassware, shake some spices, and VOILA! Why aren't they all this easy?
Last year I was so fired up about learning how to cook; I actually enjoy being in the kitchen, measuring, chopping, mixing, and cleaning as I move from one directive to the next. I like the feeling of pride that goes along with serving a meal, knowing I created something that will sustain my body (and Luke's) for another few days. I like spicing up our food menu with something that isn't pasta, soup, or chicken. (Shocking, I know.) I like imagining what it will be like to cook for our children.
Hopefully I can get on that bandwagon again, but it's so hard to get motivated about anything these days: cooking, working, exercising, keeping in touch with family and friends. We're only eighteen days into the New Year and I'm already tired of 2007.
My big projects for the upcoming weekend include backing up the digital photography files currently sitting on Luke's desktop and archiving all the publications I've put together at work in the last year so they stop collecting dust in our closet. I also want to start printing our photos and getting them into albums so we don't have to sit in front of a computer to enjoy them.
I might even remove the Christmas cards surrounding our breakfast bar.
The rest of our decorations were taken down a couple of weeks ago, but there's something about seeing all the pictures and happy signatures of our nearest and dearest that tells me to leave them up just one more day.
That dish you made looks like something that should be in Good House Keeping!! ;) Wooozers sista! ;) Good job. When I took down my Christmas cards and decorations, our wall in the kitchen looked soooo empty! :(
Posted by: Samantha | January 18, 2007 at 05:32 PM
Frema, your meal looks both pretty and scrumptious.
Posted by: mjd | January 18, 2007 at 06:04 PM
I want to keep the pirate card, so don't toss that one. It's not a Christmas card, anyway.
Posted by: Luke | January 18, 2007 at 06:07 PM
I have a hangy-thing with bells on the door to our bathroom that hasn't made it to storage yet. Also, the window-cling snowflakes on our entertainment center's glass are still up from last year! I am the worst!!
Posted by: Art Nerd | January 18, 2007 at 07:43 PM
Oh, yum! That looks even better than cake :)
Posted by: Stacey | January 18, 2007 at 08:22 PM
That DOES look good, I might be able to manage it!
I think I have a little santa bag on the closet doorknob yet... oh and the lights outside, but it's snowing, so they can stay there!
Posted by: Elizabeth | January 18, 2007 at 09:02 PM
What a good looking meal. That Luke is one lucky guy! Porjects are good to do. Progress.
Posted by: daddy d | January 18, 2007 at 10:27 PM
Paula Deen's got nothin on you, Frema D.
Also, I see my card! I see my card!
Posted by: Molly | January 18, 2007 at 10:30 PM
Hey, she took my line, damn it. I was going to say I see Molly's card!
And that pork sure does look good - and healthy. I won't even go into when I made pork last week and was told it was tough.
I, too, LOVE to cook for the reasons you mention. For instance, I just made lasagna last night and was told by 2 people that it was the best they've ever tasted. I was shocked. But pleased!
Posted by: jenabeeb | January 18, 2007 at 10:42 PM
The corner where our christmas tree stood is now looking very empty. I'm thinking it's time to find a piece of furniture to fill it up. This will drive my husband nuts. :}
Must have details on the dish: spices, times, temps, etc....always looking for new meat recipes to alter the rotation!
Posted by: VirginiaGal | January 19, 2007 at 08:55 AM
Oh yummy. That seriously makes me want to do a roast. They really are SO easy.
Try not to get yourself down about being....down. I think it's still just this time of year. But soon, we'll turn that corner and the days will get longer and the sun will get warmer and Spring will be in the air. Flowers will bloom, birds will chirp. Ah, I can't wait! I really think I have that seasonal depression thing.
Posted by: Silly Hily | January 19, 2007 at 09:26 AM
That meal looks so good. I might have to try that one sometime. I have a new crock pot recipe "crocking" away at home right now. I can't wait to get home to eat it. Only 7 1/2 hours to go.
Posted by: Lindsey | January 19, 2007 at 09:30 AM
Holy cow...that meal looks go good. (And I'm looking at it at 8:00 in the morning!)
I love that picture of your Christmas cards and I love that I can see the one I sent you!! (I have my cards in a pile. I planned on making a spreadsheet of the ones I sent and the ones I received. It hasn't happened yet.)
Posted by: Isabel | January 19, 2007 at 11:02 AM
Refresh, refresh, refresh for TLF. It's 10:52 here. Are you an hour ahead of me? Is it 11:52 where you are? Cause that would be pretty darn close to noon which is when you said you hoped to have TLF up by. Just talked, or typing, out loud. Don't mind me. I'll come back in an hour and check again. :-)
Posted by: Silly Hily | January 19, 2007 at 11:53 AM