Maybe I should explain. Food is my love language. I love cooking. I’m not sure when I started cooking for my family, but it was either when I was in single digits or low double digits. The first meal I remember cooking was meatloaf, baked potatoes, and green beans. Not too fancy, but hey, you have to start somewhere. I also remember burning my hands on the oven racks because I reached in to pull out a sheet pan full of cookies-I quickly learned not to do that! When I moved off campus during college, I loved to cook for my friends; still, nothing fancy, but a good hot meal with friends is always welcome.
Now, I’m the main cook of my family. My husband cooks some; he mans the grill when we want something cooked outside. We grew up in different areas of the state; he’s more a country boy to my city girl. He knows the tricks of the trade when it comes to down home cooking. Me? I like to experiment, try new recipes. Thankfully, he’s willing to go along with my food adventures, and I’ve been lucky to find some recipes that he really likes. One of our favorites is a Rachael Ray take on Chili Mac (another post for another day).
My love for cooking led me to The Pampered Chef three years ago. In search of something to help with bills, I combined that need with my love for cooking. If you aren’t familiar with the Pampered Chef, we are a company that offers high quality products for your kitchen-anything from garlic peelers to forged cutlery and cookware. I enjoy meeting new people and while cooking them a delicious recipe, teaching them new things about food. It’s like the Food Network, except I am live in the kitchen and the smellavision is real.
I’m headed out tonight to a host’s house to cook for her and her friends. I’m excited, because I can share my love cooking with the guests. With the weather we’ve been having, soup is on the menu: the recipe for tonight is Chicken Parmesan Soup. While the the classic Italian dish is pretty heavy, with breading and pan-frying the chicken and lots of cheese, this is a hearty soup that is light on the wallet and is pretty healthy (homemade marinara and lighter mozzarella cheese would make it healthier). It’s pretty easy to make, and is topped with homemade croutons that I’ll make on the stove top (I love a crunchy crouton!) The soup itself will be prepared in the microwave using our Deep Covered Baker, but it can be adapted to stove top.
Here’s the link if you’d like. Enjoy!
The Lumberjack House 