C is for Cooking

My son has been cooking,
but I haven't been taking pictures.
This is the only one i could find.

As most of you know, cooking is not my thing. I consider it a chore not the creative or relaxing activity that many find. The problem is that eating usually goes much better if cooking is involved. Meals are often more healthful and cheaper when they are cooked at home. Therein lies the problem. Neither my husband or I like to cook and when we don't, our meals become more expensive and usually not as healthy. I have struggled with this for years. (My husband, on the other hand has no problem eating out all of the time.)

But then the most wonderful thing happened. My son moved back home and part of his rent was to cook dinner every night. And we are certainly getting our monies worth. He figures out our schedules and cooks our meals to coincide with when we will be coming home. He makes balanced meals and we are eating more vegetables than we ever have as he adds them to dishes (shredded carrots here and chopped spinach there) as well as having them star on their own. We didn't ask him to cook on weekends, but he does. And if he goes away, he plans ahead and cooks enough to last us while we were gone. I used to think it was funny when I heard people cook for their family when they were going away. I thought that the family ought to be able to handle a few meals for themselves. Well, they probably could, just like my husband and I can, but we sure appreciate it when he does that. He, also, studies recipes and checks the ads. Sometimes he does the shopping and sometimes I do, but he always has a list.

At this point in his life,
all my son wanted to do
was read books and climb trees,
 not cook.

Sometimes I am his sous chef or sometimes I stir something when goes back to work (he has a workshop in our basement), but he is always has a plan he is executing. He occasionally asks me for advice on cooking techniques, but student has outpaced the master. With access to the Food Network, YouTube, and wide array of cookbooks, he knows things that I never learned. He talks the layering flavors and about spices I've never used. And the list goes on.

Last January, my husband joined Weight Watchers. This is the first time anyone in our household has been on this program and it's all new to us. However, my son, mastered the points and allowances quickly. He has expanded his meal to include WW point values. For example, he asks my husband how many points he plans to eat for breakfast and lunch, so he knows how many points he has to work with for dinner. And the list goes on.

Not for one single second do we take my son's cooking for granted. We know this is the best thing that has happened to us in a long time and it won't last forever. He will move on. But for now, the quality of our life has greatly improved and we are very, very thankful.