Want to Be A Better Cook?

I'm sure many of us ladies wish we were better cooks. Sure, there may be a few things we know we do really well. Maybe more than a few. But there is a sure-fire way to get better at cooking on a regular basis, and it is to actually cook more. This requires eating out less.

I think many of us can slip in to saving our 'special meals' for times when someone else is doing the cooking, and we'll pay top dollar for it even. We can shy away from cooking things that we really love if it is easier to buy it out, but seldom does any food bought 'out' taste better than a carefully prepared meal at home.

It is also true that you will lose weight if you stop eating out, even if you make great food at home. Of course, portion control does have to come in to play, but being able to control the fat and salt makes a big difference in calories. It is also better to have less preservatives and fresher food, which eating 'in' affords.

It is very easy to turn to carry out or prepared items at the end of a busy school day, but you will feel so much better if you don't allow yourself the easy out.

Something we have done, which is making each week start off more pleasurable, is to have a very nice dinner PLUS dessert on Monday evenings. There is an inherent feeling of reward, and I feel good making something everyone will love. The dessert part has been divine. It is radically new for me to make a dessert weekly, let alone the same night each week. (not that we are confined to only that one night each week) :)

Some special dinner ideas:

mini cheddar meatloaves, buttered corn, homemade bread, mashed potatoes

cajun pot roast with onions, mashed potatoes, homemade buttermilk biscuits, fresh honey glazed carrots

roast chicken, roasted potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade rolls

Dessert ideas:

homemade tapioca pudding with whipped cream

bread pudding with strudel topping

banana/zucchini/apple bread

orange scones and cinnamon apple scones

I've found the less running around I do during the week, the more I feel like cooking. It is also easier to keep up with the details of the household. This is the best year I've had with knowing what is going on with my children's schooling. Yes, I have always homeschooled, but details like when the National Classical Latin Etymology Exam study session is usually have escaped me. I simply couldn't keep up with when it was, nor remember to have my student sit in on the class. Not so this year! She attended the session!!! I feel like such a winner.

We continue to learn the CC materials and are doing a memory master that doesn't wait until the end of the year. We've been through that 11 times and while it is very beneficial to push a student to accomplish something along that line, it requires too much valuable school time to achieve. The most important thing is that they know the material and know how to memorize. The content does matter IMO. Why waste good memorizing power on just anything?

But I digress.

I hope this helps some of you with your home making!

God bless,

Ann