The Eternal Question

For the most part, I am not a fan of dinner. Oh, I like dinner menus...but I am hard-wired to be an early to rise, early to bed type person. I find that if I eat a meal after 3 or 4 in the afternoon, I don't sleep well. It throws off my whole rhythm unless I plan to be up late or don't have to be anywhere the next day. Breakfast is my jam. And as much as I love the traditional fare—scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, etc.—I am also quite content with pasta, a burger, or stuff most people prefer later in the day. Typically, I don't eat a "full" breakfast, but when I do, I find that I don't need to eat the rest of the day. A small salad at lunch is plenty...and that's it.

https://twitter.com/science_goddess/status/187676356753096706

I do, however, love to cook. I started cooking in middle school when my amom was in and out of the hospital quite a bit with her chronic illness. My adad was a smart man with many talents, but cooking was not one of them. The man burned water once (he set a pan to boil water...and then forgot about it). To be a teen is to always be hungry. So if I wanted to eat, I needed to make it happen myself. And I've been at it ever since. I won't claim that I'm a great cook...but I know the basics of getting around a kitchen. It's something that is serving me well during this period of self-isolation.

I've lived alone for a long time. Cooking for one is challenging...so I don't do that. When I find a recipe I like, I make the whole batch. Then, I split it up into servings and freeze what I don't want to consume right away. It's not unusual to find my freezer stashed with breakfast burritos, twice-baked potatoes, casseroles, and ready-to-bake cookie dough. I've learned a lot of tricks along the way.

At the moment, I seem to be craving comfort foods. I made French Onion Chicken Lasagna Roll-ups, and green chile chicken enchiladas. I have chili con carne. My pantry is stocked with flour and sugar and coffee. The freezer has sausage and bacon and hamburger. It's nice each day to just pull out one thing to thaw and bake as a home-cooked meal. Since we're under a stay-at-home order for another month, I am finding myself looking back through my recipes to think about what I'd like to make for the next round of items...although it is the time of year when I am trying to finish out whatever is in the freezer. Summer is coming, along with its bounty, and there needs to be room for cherries and blueberries and peppers. Summer is coming.

This year, I am selecting a tweet from a list provided each day by On This Day as a prompt to get back into blogging.  You can see my full list of tweets posted on this day, or start seeing your own by following that account.