Someone once gave me a fancy machine that could slice, dice, shred and mix with the push of a button. It came with a twenty-five page booklet of directions, suggestions and warnings in addition to a short video that described each of the parts that came intricately packaged in the box. I made room for this magical machine in my kitchen cabinet and also found a place for the various attachments, some of which could cut off a finger if grabbed at the wrong angle. I never used that machine and after owning for about ten years, gave it away to someone I know has never used it either!
I thought about that must-have contraption as I was getting dinner ready for company tonight and I didn't miss having it. I just love the feel of chopping veggies and getting the ingredients ready for a meal. There is a calmness that comes from working with food and preparing something I know is going to taste good that I forget about sometimes. It isn't until I'm elbow deep in the preparation that I remember that I really do like to cook. Most nights I'm beyond beat and it's tough to muster the energy to put together an attractive and tasty meal. Between me and my hubby we do okay, but I really do love feeding a crowd!
This is the time of year when things can get out of hand when it comes to busyness and never ending lists of things to get done. One danger is that I can get so focused on getting ready for what's coming up I forget to take good care of myself, and that includes eating well. So when dinner time rolls around it doesn't take much to lean toward quick and easy and forget about slow and just a little harder. Just because something is easy it doesn't make it better and just because it's harder it doesn't mean it isn't worth my effort and energy, so I have to find the best balance of both. I like to eat healthy meals so I like to keep easy ingredients in the house so I can fancy something up without too much effort. I may not have a gourmet kitchen or the newest and greatest kitchen accessories, but I do know how to put together a meal seasoned with a little bit of effort and a lot of love.
I thought about that must-have contraption as I was getting dinner ready for company tonight and I didn't miss having it. I just love the feel of chopping veggies and getting the ingredients ready for a meal. There is a calmness that comes from working with food and preparing something I know is going to taste good that I forget about sometimes. It isn't until I'm elbow deep in the preparation that I remember that I really do like to cook. Most nights I'm beyond beat and it's tough to muster the energy to put together an attractive and tasty meal. Between me and my hubby we do okay, but I really do love feeding a crowd!
This is the time of year when things can get out of hand when it comes to busyness and never ending lists of things to get done. One danger is that I can get so focused on getting ready for what's coming up I forget to take good care of myself, and that includes eating well. So when dinner time rolls around it doesn't take much to lean toward quick and easy and forget about slow and just a little harder. Just because something is easy it doesn't make it better and just because it's harder it doesn't mean it isn't worth my effort and energy, so I have to find the best balance of both. I like to eat healthy meals so I like to keep easy ingredients in the house so I can fancy something up without too much effort. I may not have a gourmet kitchen or the newest and greatest kitchen accessories, but I do know how to put together a meal seasoned with a little bit of effort and a lot of love.
No comments:
Post a Comment