DINNER IS SERVED

Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Florence, Guy Fieri, Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse are my new best friends. They come into my house via The Food Network. It has become my cable channel of choice. After a year of eating out in restaurants because of a broken stove… my hubby and I finally came to our senses, and bought a new one. The debate over flattop versus coil was narrowed down. Coil won out. We’re too old to try something new. We used the extra money we saved… (for not buying a flattop)... to also buy a new set of cookware. Being retired from pots and pans for so long… I thought I might have forgotten how to find my way around a kitchen. So I turned to the experts on TV for a few pointers. Now I’m hooked. Their voices echo in my living room everyday. Admittedly, some of their recipes are a tad bit unusual... but I’ve managed to find a few I like, that aren’t labor intensive. So… I’m back in the saddle again, cooking up a storm… combining a list of exotic new dishes, to my tried and proven classics. Instead of salads all the time… I’m experimenting with veggies like okra, zucchini, eggplant, spinach, cauliflower, and asparagus. And… I’m getting favorable results. My latest concoctions pass the taste test. Salmon, tilapia, shrimp, crawfish, oysters and lobster are staples here at our house. I’ll soon be ordering some soft-shell crabs to join the mix. Can you tell I’m from the East Coast, originally? Chicken, a million different ways is always a must have for us too. And of course… mouthwatering steak or lamb. And the ever popular, but routine… ribs, meatloaf, spaghetti and chili can be regularly found on the menu here. Throughout the years, time has been an endless constraint, especially as the children grew up… to get supper prepared and on the table before various events… but no longer. I take as much, or as little time as I need… to get the job done. No complaints. Most of our outings are on the weekend. So… dinner is served at 8pm nightly, after my hubby gets home from work. A year off from kitchen duties… made me mellow. Now… I’m finally happy to call myself the Family Chef. I’ve had that title for over thirty-five years. Too bad… the job doesn’t come with a big fat paycheck. Instead… I’m rich with the memories of meals, meals, meals, meals… and all those conversations around the dining room table.