Cooking does get easier over time. I certainly prefer baking and leave most of the cooking to Steve, but I can hold my own as well. If you’d like I can send you some of my tried and true recipes.. easy ones that are perfect for someone unsure in the kitchen. I mostly make stuff up as I go, but I’ve been cooking for ages since I lived alone for so long. Also, salt and pepper are your friends! It took me years to venture out with spices and now my favorites are thyme, oregano and garlic. I love fresh minced garlic, but the powder works pretty well too.

This is one of my favorites and while it’s best hot, it’s not bad cold either.

Butternut Squash Soup
1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
Nutmeg (or other spices, I used thyme, oregano too)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. (This is really hard to do if it’s totally raw! I poked tons of holes and microwave it for a few minutes to soften)

In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree or use an immersion blender. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with spices and serve.

I can’t remember if you have an iphone or not, but if you do, All Recipes has a free app and it’s great bc you can search by ingredients.

Yay for cooking!

I wanted to share one of my favorite and super easy pasta recipe that we make in my house at least 3 times a month.

Half a box of bow tie pasta
Spicy Italian sausage or whatever flavor sausage you enjoy. The ones I get a Publix comes in packs of 5, I usually use about 3 sausages.
1/2 medium yellow onion-diced
1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2 green bell pepper-diced
1/2 cup of chicken stock
Salt & Pepper-I eye it. We like lots of salt & pepper in our house
Parmesan or asaigo cheese to sprinkle on top

Cook the pasta according the directions on the box. I usually go one minute less because the pasta gets cooked again with the rest of the ingredients.

Start out with a medium frying pan on medium high heat. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.Peel the skin off the sausage and place it into the and break the sausage up with a wooden spoon. Once the sausage is cooked put the onion and peppers in and cook until the onion is slightly translucent. Once everything is cooked, add the cooked pasta and pour in the chicken stock and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving sprinkle on some cheese if you’d like.

With prep and cooking time, this meal comes out of our kitchen in less than half an hour. And it’s tasty! The chicken stock helps keep the pasta flavorful and moist.

My biggest issue with cooking is touching/chopping up raw meat. I’m okay with vegetarian dishes but my meat-lovin’ husband won’t have that most nights. Plus, he’s undoubtedly a better cook than I am.

Here’s one of our favorite recipes (it’s from the Top Chef Cookbook, which is pretty amazing) — I uploaded it awhile ago for my mom after we made it at her house and she loved it: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=1NkOViVZ_UC8fMCtSw45KQB2k3Z3byKDk__Leb_XVtakGnAB5sleEiz1Lvgvu&hl=en&authkey=CO70kd8P