Fear Not the Frittata

I have stuck with a goal, lo’ these 2 long months now.

Though I haven’t mentioned any mouth-watering dinner creations lately, I actually have continued my quest to become a better cook.  My perseverance has resulted in some wonderful payoffs, including more confidence with inviting guests over for dinner, and more enthusiasm from my children with trying new dishes.

Just the other night I fixed Chicken Florentine, and as the fettuccine and chicken swam in the cheesy alfredo and spinach sauce, I wondered if the overwhelming presence of GREEN at the dinner table just might scare off my willing kids.  Indeed, it did not!  My 7 year old son was so overcome with culinary delight that he ate with gusto and proclaimed, “I simply MUST get this recipe from you!”  (no, I am *not* kidding)

I am learning some unexpected lessons from my new pursuit:

• cooking makes my feet hurt!
• chicken is my least favorite meat to cook (I have a terrible time deciding when it’s “done”), but my most favorite to eat
• I absolutely adore cilantro
• I’m learning more about which sides go best with different main dishes
• I have to look long and hard for recipes that speak to my entry-level abilities
• if you have a few key ingredients on hand, you can whip up a decent dinner in no time
• the same goes for a few good pots/pans/oven-proof saute pans
• the more you cook, the more confident you become
• even though a dish looks like it’s headed for the trash, it will surprise you in the end and turn out pretty spectacular

I learned the last lesson while preparing a dinnertime frittata for my family.  I was positive that I had just created a heaping pile of mush, but once we each took a bite, we were in love.  Everyone requested that I not only make the dish again, but double the recipe, please!!

Do you suppose there could be a life lesson in that?  We slave along some days, adding a little of this, a dash of that, to make our worlds keep spinning, maybe even to make them better.  We questions ourselves and wonder, Will this all just end up down the tubes?  But then we get a delicious taste of our hard work – a child’s hug, a friend’s laugh, a spouse’s “thank you.”  It feels nourishing, doesn’t it?  Just like good food.

So, I’m learning to keep at it – in cooking and in life.

You might also enjoy these related posts from Tree, Root, and Twig:

1. Not the Night I Had Planned
2. Let’s Talk Tales of Dinnertime

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