kiss the cook

i love cooking for my family and friends; it's one of the main ways i express love to others. i also love the practical side of cooking, rather than going out, because it's more economical and generally healthier. :) with that being said, i usually get burned out by the weekend from cooking all week*. i'm not sure exactly what it is, but i think it partly has to do with the fact that i feel i "have to" make dinners that consist of at least a meat, veggie, and starch. on top of that, i feel that if it's a simple throw together dinner, it's not a real dinner. :P i think i get this mentality from my mom. my dad has always been a picky eater that requires a lot of variety for dinner. so growing up, it wasn't unusual for us to have 4-5 dishes for dinner plus rice. it was an amazing feat for my mom, especially since she worked full time and managed to have dinner on the table in 30 minutes. :P nat has told me countless times that i don't have to make as much variety of dishes like my mom or complicated meals; it can be quick and easy without having to have a meat, veggie, and starch. still, it was really hard for me just to serve a baked potato and veggies last week for dinner. :P i'm sure as sean becomes more of a handfull, i'll let go of having to make a "real" dinner each night. :)

* my sweet nat has picked up on this and has started volunteering to cook or take the family out for dinner on the weekend. :)