When we moved, I vowed to myself to be a more dedicated cook and to take care of my family and myself the best way possible.

I have this whole mentality of the way things used to be - bringing them up the way my grandparents raised me, in that old lifestyle of simple things. For me, part of that is just being here - with a backyard, sitting outside, eating homemade popcicles, running in the grass. The other aspect is cooking wholesome, balanced meals and dessert like Grandma did.

I have a strawberry pie in the oven that smells DIVINE! :cloud9:

eta: it's out - it's perfectly imperfect :heart: I had a Pampered Chef party for my birthday and haven't had a chance to play with my new toys much before the move. In the last week I've used at least one piece per day. The kids adore the little miniature cookie cutters - I used them to cut out pieces of cheese for cheese and crackers yesterday and today I cut hearts out of crust to garnish my pie top. I use my batter bowl for everything - I used my crinkle cutter to cut cucumbers for our veggie tray/lunches and tonight we're having corn on the cob with our boil-proof corn cob nobbers. Everything I've made on/in stoneware has turned out perfectly and I just couldn't be more happy. It really makes preparing a meal a labor of love.

Alright mama - now I need that pie recipe - :hug: I am loving my new stoneware baker - i wonder if I could modify it to bake in it??

eta: it's out - it's perfectly imperfect :heart: I had a Pampered Chef party for my birthday and haven't had a chance to play with my new toys much before the move. In the last week I've used at least one piece per day. The kids adore the little miniature cookie cutters - I used them to cut out pieces of cheese for cheese and crackers yesterday and today I cut hearts out of crust to garnish my pie top. I use my batter bowl for everything - I used my crinkle cutter to cut cucumbers for our veggie tray/lunches and tonight we're having corn on the cob with our boil-proof corn cob nobbers. Everything I've made on/in stoneware has turned out perfectly and I just couldn't be more happy. It really makes preparing a meal a labor of love.

Great Job!!! I'm so glad you are enjoying all your new toys and putting them to work :)

Sarah

That's a pretty significant mental shift....good for you.

I know that when I'm feeling like meal prep is a chore, my grocery bill/budget goes up exponentially. If I'm loving meal time, it stays the same or goes down.

I love cooking. I like your new philosophy. Very homey and lovey. Cooking is one thing I know I can do well and feel like I am really taking care of my family. I suck at housework and I don't have money for decorating much. I don't have time to sew much anymore but I love cooking and it's me time. From looking through the sale ads to planning the weekly meals to taking my hour a day of prep, I love it all. :)

That's wonderful that you found your motivation! I've been trying to find mine... I remember when dh and I were first married and we enjoyed cooking together, sharing our favorites and trying new things. Lately it's just a chore we have to rush through. Your post is more motivation for me, and I have a new stoneware pan from PC that's just sitting in my kitchen, I've been afraid to use it. Maybe I'll get brave this week :)
Anne

It feels good to live in the moment! I love my stones too. I try to cook what ever i can on them.

Now you do feel like a pampered chef!

That's awesome. I covet pampered chef! :) I don't have any.

I love to bake - in fact healthy muffins for snacks is on my baking list for today, and brownies after school.

But dh does most of the cooking here. He just loves it and is amazing at it. I do most of the housework/laundry/billpaying/managing, and he does the cooking and puts the kids to bed. I can't complain!