What can come from an obsession?? Good things?? Bad things?? You be the judge. Obsession #1: Eating. I like to eat. I don't like to cook. That can be a problem when raising a family. Luckily, I married way above my own cooking skills and we have been eating well for 22+ years. Yet, I have grand illusions of loving to cook and wearing aprons and tossing salt over my shoulder and braising, grilling and basting things. So in an attempt to be a mother whose children will remember her cooking and not their father's.....I started a freezer club. Enter...
Obsession #2: Twilight. I love to read. I don't like to cook when I'm reading a page turner. Since the whole Twilight series was keeping me out of the kitchen AND 4 of my girlfriends out of their kitchens, I threw out the idea of the Twilight Freezer Club~ Cold Meals Never looked so good. (My deepest and sincerest condolences to those readers who have no idea who Edward is)
Once a month I make 10 meals that can be frozen: 5 sets of 2 meals. This month I am making Tex-Mex Corn Chip Chili and Calzones with Yummy Delicious Giada Marinara Dipping Sauce. 
We gather, the 5 of us, and trade our meals. I come home with: Of course, my 2 meals PLUS, Creamy Meatballs, Pineapple Chicken, Mushroom Swiss Hamburgers, Lasagna, Teriyaki Chicken Stir-fry, AND To Die for Crock Pot Roast. Some come with side dishes of pasta, rice or chips. Just depends on the month and the meal. And Voila! My family gets variety that is more than Coco Puffs one night and Fruitie Tooties the next. Dinner conversations now center around the food and the cook and not what's written on the back of the cereal box! I now have a new obsession: Cookbooks and cooking magazines!! I've always liked the reading part, but not the cooking part. See a theme here? But now, I read AND cook what I read.
And before you judge me TOO harshly, for I am as big a book snob as the next person....in between my multiple readings of the Twilight series, I've also managed to read: Jane Eyre (MUST read), Wuthering Heights (enlightening), Tisha (fabulous!), Pride & Prejudice (Hello? MUST read EACH year), The Host(slow, but I liked it), and Three Cups of Tea. (Talk about Be A Good Human!) Slated still to read: Breaking Dawn :), Dr. Zhivago, My Cousin Rachel, Gilead, Wicked. So, I'm thinking obsessions can be a good thing.
I applaud your reading list! You will love Wicked - I just saw the play in Los Angeles last month on vacation! Will definitely see it again when it comes to Tulsa next summer.
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat idea! I have no problem letting my kiddos relish my husbands cooking, otherwise we'd be having peanut butter on rice cakes every night! I'm currently obsessed with Trader Joe's BBQ Potato Chips. And I have a book to add to your list, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg. I've read it so many times, I could probably recite it. It's a must read!
ReplyDeleteRaising hand--I KNOW EDWARD!! I ♥Love♥ that series! Can't wait for book 4!!!!
ReplyDeleteDid you see read the preview for Breaking Dawn? If not here is the link. It's just a little clip of the book but I'll take what I can get at this point.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20203238,00.html
So Tootie Fruities are not the best choice for dinner!?! Dang it now I have to think of something else to make. :)
Really though I love the dinner exchange idea what a great club to be in, if only I lived closer I would trade you my stuffed pasta shells. They are ever so good. Hey! I think I just found what we are having for dinner.
;)Rachel
I live on www.stepheniemeyer.com because I'm a dork! So yes, I've read everything there is to read about Breaking Dawn. Watched all the trailers, checked out all the mtv stuff. If ya'll lived closer, you could come to the 'bite me' party we'll be having just a few short days AFTER Breaking Dawn. I know, Dorksville, but I.Just.Can't.Help.Myself.
ReplyDeleteTrading meals sounds like a great idea! With my friends, I'd probably get two boxes of Tootie Fruities, two boxes of cocoa puffs, two boxes of corn pops and two boxes of moon pies. And they'd probably get two boxes of Count Chocula from me. We're all alike.
ReplyDeleteOh Diane! Count Chocula is MY very most favorite cereal in the whole world. I even cut out the box front and hang it up. I love that guy! You could be in my freezer club anyday!
ReplyDeleteNO idea what Twilight is all about, don't like vampire stories though. Used to watch Dark Shadows years and years ago, that was enough for me. Your other book choices look promising though ;) I have SEEN Wicked but not read the book, I heard they were very different. The play is FABULOUS! Go see it. So, are you really doing this freezer cooking thing or just teasing with the whole reading club thing?? I should do that, would buy me some scrapping/quilting time.
ReplyDeletecjnid at niwb dot net
cheryl! What?? teasing???!! me?? I am SO TOTALLY SERIOUS. Did you not see the stains of tomatos on my picture? those are MY tomato stains! It would save you OODLES of time in the kitchen. It's the best thing I've ever done.
ReplyDeleteOkay, NEVER read a vampire book in my life. don't plan on reading any others as well. But this series is clean, clean and has a great moral dilemna. I had to love it.
Started Wicked. It is a bit off to begin with. Hope it improves.
My all time favorite book is Pillars of the Earth. No book for the faint hearted - its huge. I have read it twice. And I discovered it long before Oprah did. I'm proud to say. I'm reading the sequel World without End. Equally large. Its like stepping into the past. I go through phases with my cooking but Sundays is a must cook day. My neighbor is a chef and she keeps me on the straight and narrow. There is a store in American Fork called "My neighbor's kitchen or my best friend's kitchen" something like that. I know lots of women go down there and do kind of the same thing. You decide on a menu and make from their prearranged ingredients several meals and then bring them home and freeze. I've heard they are good. I've often thought of going but just have never done it. My husband works very late most everyday so by the time he comes home whatever i have or haven't cooked may or may not get eaten. I still have kids, though, so thats no excuse but I do give them nights to cook. My twins love to cook and would often make most of our meals (before they both married) so that made me somewhat lazy. But we certainly AREN'T starving but I probably should try!
ReplyDeleteI also love to cook, quilt, and read, I just finished Tisha loved that book but I also love love love Stargirl and the sequel Love, Stargirl. I have been looking for a good book to take on vacation next week looks like everyone has great suggestions. I so wish Breaking Dawn was out and alas I must say Jacob rules! I will stick with him until the end. I also love Jane Eyre and Steinbeck is without a doubt one of my favorites I have read all his books three or four times. Here's to cooking reading and quilting with you!
ReplyDeleteThat is such a great idea! I have tried once a month cooking where I make all the different meals and it was way too time consuming. I love the idea of batch cooking just a couple meals and doing a trade.
ReplyDeleteI picked up Twilight and couldn't get into it. Am I weird or what?