Hungry

It's truth time.  I am not a passionate cook.  I enjoy being in the kitchen sometimes.  I work full time and coming home to put a big meal on the table isn't on the top of my list.  Sometimes I have thought it was because the kitchen was so gross and difficult to deal with.  That's been my excuse anyway.  So now with a new kitchen coming the pressure is on.  Do I like to cook?  Will I cook more?  Can I do better than I have before?  We'll see.

I will say this.  I am getting hungry.  I am tired of eating somewhat fast food and eating out.  I would like to have the ingredients on hand for some real food.  It's summer in the South and the squash, okra, and tomatoes will be really good soon. 

So to torture my self...or to prepare working in the new kitchen...I am looking at recipe books and planning what kinds of things I would like to cook.  Today I have checked out three Ina Garten cookbooks from the library.  I will spend my early mornings looking at the Barefoot Contessa's lovely recipes and wondering if I will spend more time in this room of my own design! 

Due to the limitations of the kitchen for the last several years--take that to mean at least the last decade--my menu's have been fairly limited.  For company, grilled meat, roasted potatoes, something green like beans or broccoli, and a salad with my homemade vinaigrette, and some french bread with butter.  At least a couple of times in the summer I do my grandmother and mother's summer southern fried vegetable supper which includes, fried okra, squash casserole, roasted new potatoes, green beans, some homemade slaw, sliced tomatoes, and corn bread.  Topped off with some fresh strawberries, store bought pound cake and real whipped cream.