Oh SO Delicioso!: I Cook to Serve

After 7 ½ years, 3 kids and maaaanny many years of school, I am happy to say, I am still in love. Am I lucky? Yes, but it wasn’t luck that brought our marriage to this day. It is good ol’ fashioned labor of love. LOVE is totally a labor!

When Brandon and I were first married he had a personal encyclopedia on the foods he would NOT eat. This left me quite a trial trying to come up with nutritious meals. Many nights I would give up and say “fine you cook it!” This was the perfect strategy in to me learning his likes. After eating many of his boxed meals or frozen dinners I learned his flavor. I tried to focus on seasoning and herbs that he liked and apply them to the black listed foods. Over the years he has trashed his encyclopedia and now just has a page or two. And I honor that. Nothing makes me happier than him saying, “mmm.. that’s really good, what d’ you put in this?“

I have to be honest though, I haven’t always been a great cook. From experience I’ll give you a little advice, don’t mix up the sugar and salt! Cooking is a skill that for some is natural and other is learned, although I feel to most it is a learned skill (you don’t usually see many natural prodigy cooks on food network do ya?). And what a rewarding skill! I mean who doesn't love to eat warm soft rolls right out of the oven that melt in your mouth?! For me there is also the reward of serving others.

I was raised to know that when you serve someone, you gain a love for that person. And that is why I cook. I cook to serve my husband; to serve my children. After many years of "serving" them, I’ve gained a greater love and purpose as a wife and mother. Please call me old fashioned, because I feel that some great wisdom has been lost in the modern family. I am not in the least judgmental of other family situations, because I may someday be in their shoes. For now, I have to opportunity to fix a home cooked meal ready for the Mr. when he arrives home and to teach my children the variety of foods and flavors and how to keep their sweet little bodies healthy and strong. To show my family the adventure of cooking and the bond that food can bring across cultures and most importantly with in a family. So many of our recipes on our blog are “grandma” recipes. The foods that we ate as children at grandma’s house, and we still love them today because of the sweet memories and love that went into those meals. Will my children survive if I don’t ever fix Chicken Cordon Bleu? Sure, but they will be missing out. Could he cook for himself? Sure, he’s actually a good cook. But what a sweet thing I can do for them by providing a nutritious dinner. They don’t always pat me on the back, and I don’t get any promotions. The happiness that dwells in our home is the best reward I can have.