Yesterday, Dad left to go back to Md with mom. It was a really fun 2 weeks. More fun than I thought I would have with dad, who can be pretty moody at times. I was really sad to see him go. I imagine, though, that he was sadder. The next time he may be able to come back with mom will be in 5 years, give or take, so it's gonna be a long string of winters. They have also moved to a new house, so things are going to be a bit different for him when he gets back Stateside, but he is a tough soldier (if a little moody, but I have already mentioned this.)
To cope with the semi-orphan status, I decided to make dinner for Marianne. The help resigned, so I'm the one manning the kitchen, and while there are two other houses in this compound at which to have meals, Marianne and I stay in the main house, so it's nice to have a meal here every so often.
I decided on making something I knew my cousin would like, but was not going to be difficult to make (with the added bonus of cleaning out the fridge in the process). Cottage pie was on the menu. I cheated a bit though. There was no ground beef, so I resorted to using Keilbasa, and whatever veg I could find. They turned out to be baby carrots and tomatoes. So some chopping, boiling, sizzling and mashing later, I managed a pretty good cottage pie. Dead simple, and super effective. Marianne loved it, and saved some to bring to school. It was a large batch, so there was some to spare.
This is what I love about cooking. It's such an easy thing to do. There are just a few basic things you need to know, and you don't have to spend too much time with it, but when you make it for family, for people you love, it always turns out so great. It's cheezy (coincidentally, like the top of my cottage pie) but it's true when they say food can bring people closer.
I really did miss having someone to cook for. I used to do a lot of the cooking when I was in relationships in the past. It's how I learned, more or less. There had always been something in the process. Making everything come together just right was something I liked taking extra time with, because I was making it for people that mattered to me. When I eat alone, it's pretty basic. Spam, rice, soup. Done. I'm low maintenance like that, so having someone there for whom to stretch out my culinary legs is a great (and now rare) treat, even if it is something as rudimentary as cottage pie. Maybe I should have done this sort of thing for a living.
To cope with the semi-orphan status, I decided to make dinner for Marianne. The help resigned, so I'm the one manning the kitchen, and while there are two other houses in this compound at which to have meals, Marianne and I stay in the main house, so it's nice to have a meal here every so often.
I decided on making something I knew my cousin would like, but was not going to be difficult to make (with the added bonus of cleaning out the fridge in the process). Cottage pie was on the menu. I cheated a bit though. There was no ground beef, so I resorted to using Keilbasa, and whatever veg I could find. They turned out to be baby carrots and tomatoes. So some chopping, boiling, sizzling and mashing later, I managed a pretty good cottage pie. Dead simple, and super effective. Marianne loved it, and saved some to bring to school. It was a large batch, so there was some to spare.
This is what I love about cooking. It's such an easy thing to do. There are just a few basic things you need to know, and you don't have to spend too much time with it, but when you make it for family, for people you love, it always turns out so great. It's cheezy (coincidentally, like the top of my cottage pie) but it's true when they say food can bring people closer.
I really did miss having someone to cook for. I used to do a lot of the cooking when I was in relationships in the past. It's how I learned, more or less. There had always been something in the process. Making everything come together just right was something I liked taking extra time with, because I was making it for people that mattered to me. When I eat alone, it's pretty basic. Spam, rice, soup. Done. I'm low maintenance like that, so having someone there for whom to stretch out my culinary legs is a great (and now rare) treat, even if it is something as rudimentary as cottage pie. Maybe I should have done this sort of thing for a living.
posted from Bloggeroid
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