Cooking with Ina

Ever since Clay and I got married, I've found cooking to be soothing and adventuresome, all at the same time.  I sort of got in a rut with cooking over the last 5-6 months, for obvious reasons, so we started to rely heavily on take-out or the same 3-5 tricks I could pull out of my sleeve at a moment's notice.

After Nan was born, we received an influx of, how shall I put this..."comfort foods".  On multiple occasions, I'd open our door to find entire cakes, boxes of cookies, and dozens of these little treats...

Clay, George and I are lovers of sweets, for sure.  But it was time for fresh produce to take over our house, since I rarely craved fruits and vegetables when I was pregnant with Nan.

So in mid-August, we celebrated Saty and Scooter's birthdays (they have the same birthday...just thirty years apart!). 

I was going to be doing the cooking, and I realized that I haven't really cooked since sometime around February.  I dusted off my two favorite cookbooks and rekindled my love for the kitchen.

This little gem is from Pioneer Woman's cookbook, and it is a no-brainer.

 Real life.

 Then I tried it on some grilled bread.  It was so refreshing for food to taste really good again.

 I have an intense love for a good tomato.

So after the birthday dinner was over, I wanted to keep going.  I know this might sound strange, but since our lives seemed to fall apart, I needed something that was trustworthy.  I needed to use my brain and my hands and have an instant fruit for my labor.

When George was a teeny baby and was up (seemingly) all the time, I started watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network.  Something about her was so calming, and she made it seem like you could cook absolutely anything in your own little kitchen.  Clay gave me her cookbook, Foolproof, for Christmas this past year.  I cracked it open and decided to try to start cooking through it.

 My first attempt was this slow-roasted filet of beef.  It was {pun intended} foolproof.  I stuck it in the oven for almost 2 hours and out came the most delicious dinner I've ever made at home. 

Then I tried this Chicken with Wild Mushrooms.

 Lastly I made Tequila Lime Chicken with Mexican Rice.

This is the dedication page in Ina's cookbook.  I love Jeffrey, and I'm wondering if it's because he sort of reminds me of Clay.  He's the ultimate bite-sneaker and always goes on and on about whatever his wife is making at the moment.  

Even if it might not be his favorite.

There's a lot that I'm processing through these days, and it's been hard and good and bittersweet.  I'd venture to say that might be what our life looks like indefinitely, and I think that's okay.  I look forward to and love dinner time at our house, when the three of us are all together around the table, and we get to catch up on each other's days.  George and Clay are the best people in the world to cook for, because they love anything and everything I put in front of them.  So maybe that's why I've become so fixated on researching recipes, and making mile-long grocery lists.  Because even the littlest effort on my part is met with great reward from my {easily pleased} audience.