Despite being 40 years old (yes, Dana, I really am 40!), and having lived either by myself or with Chris for 20 years, I really am not that good of a cook. I have BOXES of cookbooks in my basement because they won’t all fit on the shelf in my kitchen, and every so often I pull one down and flip through it looking desperately for something that looks like it would be easy to make and would taste good. The problem is, I was never TAUGHT how to cook. My Mother was very particular about the kitchen, so she preferred to just do everything herself. She never showed me how to plan a meal, make a grocery list, or how to actually cook anything at all. Sometimes I wish I had just gone to cooking school! Like, for example, the kitchen academy in sacremento, where I could get a Culinary Arts Diploma!
I can see myself now, in a crisp white jacket and one of those tall hats, holding a Chef’s knife as I chop carrots and celery into perfect tiny cubes, while my sauces reduce in a shiny pan and perfect cuts of meat sizzle in the skillet in front of me. Each plate of food I put together is a perfect blend of flavors and textures, and I graduate with honors at the top of my class. And then I come home with my Culinary Arts degree, and make my kids another meal of spaghetti with a side of canned corn. *Sigh*. I’ll tell you more about the new cooking blog once I get it up and running, and share my attempts at finding recipes that are easy to make that my family will actually eat.
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table4five










Hello and welcome to Table for Five! I'm Elizabeth, and this blog started in September 2005 as a way for me to participate in the Mommy Blogging community. I'm married with three terrific kids-boys ages 11 and 9 and a 2 year old daughter. Things I love include my family, coffee, Diet Coke, TV, reading, and Target.
Please contact me at table4five AT gmail DOT com if you would like to discuss anything I've posted here, place a text or button ad, send me a product to review, or provide a guest post. Thank you for stopping by!
i look forward to it!
Sounds great! I’m excited!
Great a cooking blog!! Sounds cool to me…too bad I can’t cook though. LOL!
Lately I’ve been recording a show on the cooking channel called Quick Fix Meals, or something like that. The idea is that she takes 3 meals that all share a common ingredient or two and by preparing enough for all 3 meals at the same time and storing whatever you don’t need for that night’s meal, you save yourself a bunch of time by essentially cooking once and preparing 3 times.. Or something like that. For instance if two of the three meals have chopped carrots in it, the recipe that’s easier of the two you cook first and when you chop your carrots up for it you also chop enough for the second night’s meal, ziplock bag them and viola. When I get an entire DVD’s worth I’m going to burn them onto disc so I can have them handy, right in the kitchen, to play on the laptop on the table while I’m cooking and following along (you could use your portable DvD player that you got.) And they’re all insanely simple and yet sound SO SO scrumptious. Want me to burn an extra disc and bring them up when we come to visit?
Hey, I wonder what you’re gonna cook up. Hopefully, it’s something that rocks!
Good luck with your new blog.
I participate on the Favorite Ingredients Friday hosted by http://overwhelmedwithjoy.blogspot.com/. There are great recipes there.
Usually I present a Portuguese Recipe per week
Learning to cook is a bit challenging.
Do you have Food Network on your tv? If so, start watching Alton Brown (he does Good Eats). He’s really good at explaining stuff, give you the mechanics behind something so it makes sense, and his recipes are yummy and usually pretty easy. I got my roasted turkey, chocolate waffle and brown rice recipes from him, and plenty more somewhere that I forget off hand. His show is also on DVD, but I have no idea if Blockbuster or Netflix has it - they’re pretty pricey if you buy them all.
Hi Lanna,
Thanks for the tip, but I have to confess…Alton Brown bugs the heck out of me! You know how some people can’t stand Rachael Ray? That’s how I feel about Alton Brown! Maybe he has a cookbook out where I can learn his recipes without having to hear him actually speak LOL
Well, I love cooking but I hardly get to do anything out of the ordinary. And if I did, I would be met with, “What’s this?” “I don’t like it.” “Yuck” all before any of them had even TRIED it!
So, I stick with what they know… for now…
I just started a new blog too. I was having major headaches trying to pack my kids lunches, so I started one that I am already neglecting at http://www.packmylunch.blogspot.com
Tell us more about yours!
Well, for not “knowing” how to cook, you sure know the lingo! I was in a mentoring program several years ago where they talked about “reducing” the sauce. I thought they meant they were tasting it before they served it. LOL
Mimi, I know what you mean. My husband is the picky eater, and he has very specific ideas of what dinner should be-meat, starch, vegetable. He’s not big on casseroles, and he doesn’t want breakfast-type foods at dinner, so I am somewhat limited by that.
Tori, It’s called MomCooks, at http://momcooks.net. And I love your blog’s name! I’ve actually got a few packed lunch plans that are really creative and have gotten the thumbs up from my kids. I’ll definitely post those when I get the blog up and running!
Karen-That’s because I watch cooking shows on Food Network! I just don’t actually MAKE anything I see on Food Network LOL Hey, guess what? We have a friend in common-Sarah from MomTeacherFriend! She and I had our kids in the same MOPS program a few years ago, and we ran into each other at the WestSide Y about a month ago. Have you met her in person? If not, I would love if we could all get together sometime!
Oooo, the new blog sounds awesome! Can’t wait to see it!
Thanks! Very interestingly.
damn all these beautiful gir. Zaid Bethanie.
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