Fun in the Kitchen

I love cooking. Sometimes it takes too long, but when I have the time and I'm not starving, I love making food. Tonight I made arroz con pollo, which my dad fondly calls "rice and chicken." I told my sister and mom that I think this is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to make, but it takes soooo long. I subscribed to Rachael Ray's magazine as well to get sweet recipes and good ideas. I love watching Food Network (but I'm picky about what chefs I watch) and I've taught myself a lot just from observing.

The one problem I have with cooking is I get bored easily. So I tend to get into a rut for a while and make the same thing over and over, but then I decide I don't want to make that anymore. I also never have time! Ugh. That's the stinky part about class schedules sometimes -- I don't have time to be fun and creative. I came up with this pasta dish one time. It was soo good! Spinach, tiny shells, chicken and Parmesan cheese with milk, butter and laughing cow wedges. Delicious! It's just fun to experiment in the kitchen. It will be fun when I get my own place to cook for myself I think, or when I get married to cook for my family.

I try to cook for my family now but it can be hard because often times we just piece together items (like chicken and vegetables), but that gets boring. Also, we're hardly ever all home to enjoy a meal together. Plus, we have varying tastes and preferences in my family. It's rare to find a dinner that everyone likes (but arroz con pollo seems to have managed to win that award for now). I guess if I had more time, I would do it more often, but like I said, it's hard most days.

My dad makes incredible jambalaya. A few years ago he was on this cooking kick and would make all kinds of awesome meals. We would watch Emeril on Food Network and imitate his famous BAM! while we were cooking. I think I picked up my hobby from him. I almost spent my last year of high school and the Career and Technology Center in their culinary arts program. I seriously would love to go to a culinary arts school and learn the trade. I think it would be a lot of fun, but I have to finish this degree first before I can ever hope of heading elsewhere. It would be awesome to actually learn all the skills involved with cooking. Whether it would take all the fun out of it, I'm not sure, but I think it would be worth it. Rachael Ray always seems to have a good time in the kitchen, so why shouldn't I?