Thoughts on cooking

When I got married, I wanted to be a cook. I knew that I probably wouldn't be a good one, because I have never really done much cooking, but I figured, Hey, I can learn. Before me wedding, I had my mom get me a menu (I think she actually put it in my stocking at Christmas) and I was pretty diligent about keeping up with it...for awhile. I still use, occasionally, but more often then not, I resort to "What do I FEEL like eating tonight" and the answer is almost always "eating out" because once I get home, the last thing I want to do is wait to cook...that's IF there is something already ready TO cook. Most often, the meat is still in the freezer.  My poor husband. I hate this about myself. I have tried looking up recipes and that helps me get motivated to BUY the necessary items at the store, but that, sadly, does NOT translate into me cooking it once home. A few months ago, we were at my father in law's house and they had a KRAFT magazine that had all them yummy sounding recipes. My father in law's wife told me that I could go online to www.kraft.com and sign up to receive e-mails with new recipes. This is a place I've recently received many inspirations from this site. Things such as Penne Pasta Skillet and One Pot Herb Crusted Pork Chops sounds wonderful. So, why in the world can I NOT find the motivation to cook them?? So, here's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to set aside one night a week, I'm thinking Wednesday's, to be my try a new recipe night and I will commit to blogging about it. I hope this will challenge me to cook for my man. I will need you my blogger family and friends to hold me accountable to doing this. Will you help me??????????

Love, Mrs. M.

PS- If you have any recipes you think I (or my husband) might enjoy, send em my way! I'm looking for mainly meat based meals with one, maybe two sides. 

Thoughts on Bishop Arts District

Last night, my husband took me out to dinner and I took him out to a movie. He read about this BBQ place called Lockhart Smokehouse.  He was very excited because he is the quintessential "beef and potatoes" man, minus the potatoes!! As soon as we got there, they asked if we wanted to try "smoked bologna". I haven't like bologna, smoked or otherwise, since like 4th grade, so I politely decline, but my husband willingly accepted. This place was pretty cool. It was mot a large place, and from the outside it kinda looked like a hole in the wall. There was no parking (ok, maybe like 7 spots off to the side) and my expectations were pretty low. That being said, I was pretty impressed with what we got. They serve meat by 1/2 pounds, so we got 1/2 pound of brisket and 1/2 pound of ribs. The 1/2 pound of ribs was....TWO!!! They were quite large. So we each had a rib, and we split the brisket. They don't believe in forks or sauces, but allow you to bring your own if you want. If you get a chance, you should check it out! After eating, we strolled around the neighborhood streets and it was a pretty cool little place. It was hard to believe it's actually part of Oak Cliff. Below are some pics of things we saw while there! 

 This was a neat Wall Mural on the side of a building

 One of the front windows of an old tire shop.

 

Love, Mrs. M.

Thoughts on nighttime photography

So, last night, my husband and I went and took some photos around town with our o so cool camera. He is soo stinking talented. Check it out!

Love, Mrs. M.

Thoughts on Valentine's Day

So, I know it's like 2 days late, but here is my thoughts on this day.  I honestly LOVE it! (pun intended) Who wouldn't enjoy a day where you celebrate your special connections with others? I think that if you are a person who "doesn't believe in" or "agree with" or "thinks it's a day made up by candy makers and jewelers" then I wonder, do you celebrate Mother's Day/Father's Day? How about Easter or Christmas? What about any other holiday?

The argument that I hear most often from a person who doesn't observe Valentine's day is that you shouldn't need to have a "special" day to show your significant other how much you care about them. Well, couldn't the same be said about all holidays? Shouldn't we Celebrate our Lord's birth and mourn His death daily? Shouldn't I love on my parents the other 364 days a year? Well of course the answer to these questions is "Yes, I should". But do I? No, not always. That's why it's so important that once a year, we take the time to show all these people just how much they mean to us and just how appreciative we are of all they've done for us over the years. That's what Valentine's day is to me. It's a day for my husband to show me in an extra special way how much I mean to him. That's why the photo he gave me meant so much. He knows that passage in scripture is my mantra some days. As I put in my original post, I believe we are to LIVE the love Paul speaks about in Corinthians. My personal favorite is the beginning of Vs. 8 "Love never fails". I once heard it said "This means love never flunks out". I loved the imagery of this statement. Now, my husband could have used that quote "Love never fails" because he knew it was my favorite. However, he chose to use the statement that meant the most to him "Love endures all things". To some this may seem like it's the same saying just with different words, but I know God is very intentional about the use of words in scripture, so I believe Paul is talking about two different instances. In our marriage, I know it means two different things. "Love never fails" means that if I love you, I never leave or even threaten to leave. "Love endures all things" means, no matter what we go through: times of prosperity or times of poverty, times of joy or times of strife, we endure it.

The online Webster dictionary had this definition of "endure": To remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding." What a beautiful picture of how my husband loves me! I truly believe this is the best Valentines Day present he's given me to date. I can't wait to see what next year has in store!!

Love, Mrs. M.

PS- Just to brag on him a little bit, I also got a dozen BEAUTIFUL white roses, a box of chocolates, and he made dinner for me Monday night. Nothing fancy, just tostadas, but to me, it was better then Craftwood Inn!!