It wasn't her fault. The pic to the left pretty much sums up my
childhood thoughts about cooking.  Mom tried to get me interested in the kitchen. Cooking, baking and a love of creating a meal that was fit for a holiday, a Sunday morning for family, a Saturday afternoon with friends...

I just would have none of it. Women's Work. Blllacccchhhh!!!! And I would run outside and into the woods with my dog and be gone from such tedious things. Now, usually it was with a lunch full of good stuff that came from those tedious things but...meeehhhhhhh....I didn't make that connection.

So, let us get this out of the way right now. I hate to cook. I mean I HATE to cook. It isn't that I don't like good food. Or good for you food. It is just that I despise fixing it. I have better things to do. And I can live off of cereal. Or even fruit and veggies. I don't need to cook to eat.

So, why would I take a cooking class? Well, because it was for Sam. It was a gift and part of the gift was that we would cook together. And so, last week we went to our first cooking class and got all down into the art
of making pita bread, gyros, risotto, hummus…all from scratch. And it was fun!  And yummy.  And we left talking about cooking together (but only because Sam now owes me Sushi Class). 
 
What I learned?  Cooking is about following instruction and practice.  Cooking can be a love affair of sorts – the kind of thing you spend an afternoon with and when you are done you have created something.  It can be fun.  You can drink wine while you are doing it.  Always a plus that. 
 
On the other hand you are also left with a huge mess of dirty dishes and could have been doing other things like, I dunno, riding a horse or going to the movies or reading or sleeping or….

So, I am still not sold on cooking.  But, I doubt I will ever buy pre-made hummus again.  

No Bake cookies are supposed to be the easiest thing in the world and should be THE cookie of the non-baker, right?  Only I have never been able to get the damn things to work.  Time and time again, mine just refuse to set up.  So, I end up with No Bake goo.  Which, ya know, still tastes good but isn't the point of being a "cookie" that you are a COOKIE?  

Here is the traditional recipe for No Bakes:

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups oatmeal
• Waxed paper

Directions
  In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and
hardened.

I found a "healthier" version of this recipe recently that replaced the butter with a mashed banana and cut the sugar to one cup.  I also used almond milk.  SAME RESULT as always but dang that goo is good. 

Growing season is finally here!  I have a trip to the greenhouse scheduled for this weekend with a list from Sam as to which herbs he wants put in our planter boxes on the porch where they will be perfect for the plucking and the cooking.

I have planted some seeds - Lady's Mantle (finally) and some mini Sunflower seeds.  I used to have Sunflowers in my front yard at my old house and loved them dearly. 

We have yet to get our garden started due to the lateness of the season. 

At the time of this post, our hummingbirds are not even back to their summer home yet.  Sad Sad Sad.  I fixed some food for them last night as I'm sure they must be along soon...  It seems this season may be brief, at least now as it has been so slow on the uptake.  Hopefully that just means it will linger well into the short nights of Autumn...