Despite the fact that I have a kitchen full of appliances and a fridge, freezer and cabinets that are normally well-stocked with meats, vegetables, sides, condiments, etc, I’m not big on cooking. And this afternoon’s mishap that could have resulted in setting the house on fire, but fortunately only resulted in the demise of our toaster, reaffirms my believe that kitchens and I don’t mix. I bake and cook because I have to, not because I like to.
(The mishap, since you’re probably curious: I turned on the toaster oven to heat up some chicken, but forgot to remove the toaster that was sitting on top of it. To add insult to injury the toaster was plugged in. The hot toaster oven melted the toaster’s power cord, which shot out sparks and tripped one of the fuses. Whoops!)
But between the two, I’d definitely prefer to bake. Baking is fun! Decorating is even more fun!
And when it comes to cooking, casseroles and slow-cooker meals are definitely my preferred dishes, because 1) they’re easy and 2) they are absolutely, amazingly delicious. Tonight we’re having beef stew that I spiced up with some apple cider vinegar and thyme seasoning. I want to make use of the drawer full of broccoli, carrots and celery that is in our fridge, so while I was checking out at the grocery store I picked up a little recipe book titled “hearty comfort foods”. Half the dishes in there are casseroles or slow-cooker meals, and half of those use both celery and carrots, so I should be able to churn out several meals and make good use of the supplies I have on hand.
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, on January 1 2010 at 8:15pm:
I have the exact opposite problem. I LOVE to cook and bake but don’t have the appliances nor the food to do it. Which sucks cause, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I’m damn good at it 
Hire me, I’ll come cook lol
, on January 1 2010 at 9:49pm:
I love my slow cooker too! I am posting my healthy slow cooker recipes on my blog http://healthyslowcooking.wordpress.com. You might fine some that interest you.
, on January 1 2010 at 10:00pm:
My favorite thing to do with broccoli (or mixed veggies that includes broccoli and cauliflower) is to put a hint of seasoning salt in, a little bit of butter/margarine (not much!) and sprinkle in some Parmesan cheese. 
Stir it all up and it is super yummy! (Have I mentioned I am not a big fan of broccoli or cauliflower?) Other than that, I really don’t know what to do with them. I only eat carrots and celery raw.
And don’t worry about the toaster incident. I’ve blown up microwaves (don’t ask, we still don’t know how it actually happened), melted bowls on burners (again, don’t ask lol), and everything in between.
, on January 1 2010 at 2:40pm:
I’m just about the same way. I guess sometimes I don’t mind cooking, but most of the time, I’d rather not. Okay.. unless it’s cookies or something, but then I just eat more batter than what’s good for me.
Google Chrome is catching on! I’m so glad I made the switch. At first, the design was a little weird, but only because I’ve used Internet Explorer ever since I can remember. It’s been working a miracle for me.
Yes, I love all 5 of my babies, but litter training them is a huge bitch! Especially since they like to go beside the litter box, even the main one who has basically caught on from the start. Ugh, I hate it, haha.
My first baby, the momma of the kittens, is very picky about the litter box too. She’s never had an accident, she just prefers to go other places if the litter box isn’t clean.
, on January 1 2010 at 12:08am:
Man you just made me hungry, all that talk about food. I could go on and on about this subject.
I’m more of a baker too myself. I don’t particularly enjoy cooking but when I do its usually a success and I just throw stuff together. I’m glad my husband like to cook. 
, on January 1 2010 at 2:28pm:
I cant say that I am a good cook either. I have tried baking many times and fro some reason my cakes never come out good no matter how hard I try and follow directions perfectly.
, on January 1 2010 at 3:20pm:
I love this post for a couple of reason…
1. I, like you, like to cook, enjoy good food, but have a hard time cooking…good..food. I’m spastic in the kitchen. Although I can say that I never killed one appliance with another. That’s pretty brutal.
2. The title of the post reminded me that I have tickets to see Martha on 2/3 and now I have a reason to smile today.
3. The link to the decorations. OMG, just when I thought there was no possible way you could be more awesome than I already knew about, this happens. Perfect Hello Kitty Pops happen. I’m amazed.
4. I love the font on this layout, which is why I wish I could come up with ten more reasons, but I’ll stop stalking now.
As the domain name suggests, my name is Jenn, and I own this blog. I'm 26 years old and married to my one true ♥, Daniel. And while I have two kids (Alyssa is five, and Ryan is three), you won't find "mommy" in my username or email address, nor does my blog revolve around them. I'm a mother, but most importantly I am me, with a passion for love, blogging, reading, and photography. I'm also a busy freelance writer, web designer & SEO goddess, and a blogger relations person for an adult toy company.
I do my beef stew and pot roast with the carrots and celery. The stew is super easy and so good. The broccoli? I have no clue how to do anything with that. You need to start sharing some veggie recipes for those of us who fail at that.