When I was a newlywed, I decided to learn how to cook. I bought some shell pasta and all of the ingredients for stuffed shells from my "Joy of Cooking" cookbook that we had received as a wedding gift. "Brand name man" loves Italian, so I thought an easy dish like that would be a great way to begin my foray into culinary excellence.
I purchased the list of ingredients from the side of the box. Brand name man's brother, Chris, was going to stay with us in our apartment for the night so I bought plenty of food for all of us. At 5pm, I started to cook. I anticipated a 7pm sit down time, so I thought I was being a great planner.
6:00 - I called my mother in a panic - "Why is it so hard to stuff the shells with the cheese?" After a few sentences, my mother figured out that I had missed the word "cooked" that came before "shells" in the ingredients list. Yes, I was trying to stuff hard, uncooked pasta with a cheese mixture.
At the time, I felt like a fool. I couldn't believe how idiotic it was of me to not realize the pasta should be cooked first. I thought that cooking wasn't one of my strengths, and I stopped trying. Fast forward 7 years.
We used to eat out with the kids ALL the time. Once I decided I wanted to stop wasting money, I started to experiment in my kitchen.
Now that I'm cooking, I realize how silly I've been feeling intimidated by doing it. Not only does it save us money, but it also gives us some great family time around the table. The kids love to "help" so even though our kitchen is a mess every night, I wouldn't trade it. If you feel intimidated by cooking, just jump in and make something. If it's horrible, who cares??? Always have a back up frozen meal ready to go just in case.
We do eat out once a month. Tonight, we tried a new place called "Vita" in Atlanta, on Peachtree Street where Mick's used to be. The owner, Tony, came by every table to see how the meals were. Tony, much like Clark, had retired several years ago and moved to Florida. Then he was diagnosed with cancer. After beating the cancer, Tony returned to Atlanta's culinary scene with a vengeance and has opened a fabulous bistro.
He started "Fratelli Di Napoli" years ago. He is a true New Yorker / Italian, and you can tell he really cares about the food served in his restaurant. Brand name man and I loved the food, the wine, and the dessert. We highly recommend that you try it if you're in Atlanta. It was a great night out for us, but now we're back to preparing our own cooked meals at home. At least until next month!
I hope you all enjoy your weekend with those you love!
