Food favorites!

    I will not claim to be the best cook in the house, that spot eaily belongs to Katrina and we all know and love it, but I have been able to cook quite a bit this year. In hopes to not shock family and friends please read this slowly......I.am.really.enjoying.cooking.

    Other than taking two cooking classes in high school, (mostly just to have a break from the heavy course work I was doing to "prepare" for college) my knowledge of the kitchen comes from watching my Momma's "little bit of this and little bit of that" style. I still tell people that Momma's refrigerator soup (commonly known as vegetable soup) is one of my favorties; each time she makes it we gobble the whole thing down even though no two batches are the same. In my house, Momma cooks and Dad bakes...not a bad combo for sister and I! I love going home because Momma cooks what I request and I get to enjoy her delicious food. Always though I am sure to stir something and insit that I helped and therefore get some of the credit for the dish. [One thing I will not do willingly....chop onions! There must be begging and pleading involved.]

    I love when Momma cooks while I am home but while here in Syracuse I have been able to find a happy place when making dishes that my community will enjoy. We split up the cooking and after-dinner-dishes each week so that everyone gets an opportunity to express their cooking creativity.

     Some of my favorite dishes that my community members have made include: Frito pies (made by Liz), delicious fish (made by Paige), fancy grilled cheese (always Brendan), homemade mac and cheese (from Jacqueline), stir fry and Dutch babies (from chef Katrina), and bowtie pasta with veggies (made by Paul) and those are just the dishes I remember right now! We eat pretty well (as in enough food) even though we are on a tight budget. We don't purchase much meat and we do consume a large portion of carbs (because they are delicious duh!) but we try to cook different dishes which adds some "spice" to our lifestyle of simple living.

To further prove that I do cook this year here are some dishes that I have made:

• homemade biscuits and sausage gravy
• turkey and green bean casserole (Thanksgiving)
• chili
• pumpkin soup
• taco soup
• eggplant panini
• garlic roasted cauliflower
• cousous with parsley and tomatoes
• homemade applesause
• Skyline chili
• Dad's coffee cake
• whole roasted chicken (it was donated to us)
• broccoli cheese noodle soup
• black bean burgers
• buffalo chicken dip (the our New Year's party)

    If you have any suggestions of dishes I could make (remember I am feeding 7 people and leftovers are welcomed) please feel free to comment or email me! I hope you are staying warm and well fed friends.