Sunday, November 14, 2010

On Becoming Suzy Homemaker...

Because I am. Seriously.

I make my own bread (usually every other week - and if we need bread before then, we don't hesitate to buy a loaf), I make my own waffles (and freeze them for later), and my own stews and roasts. We make chili for 12, and freeze 3/4s of it.

Why do I feel the need to spend my weekends in the kitchen?

I've always loved to cook. My family never did it often (I didn't know that cookies could be made without a "tube" of dough until I was in high school), so it was a novelty to me at first. It's stress relieving, knowing that I'm going to get something delicious out of the effort.

It's also cheaper. For me to make a loaf of bread, I need yeast, flour, honey, butter, and milk. 3 packs of yeast is about 60 cents, and I just picked up a 5 lb bag of flour for $1.68. The cheapest bread in KC is still over $2 a loaf, and I can easily make 10 loaves with this bag of flour. Seems like a pretty good deal, ya know? I'm sure wheat flour is probably more expensive (though healthier), but we'll stick with white for now - seeing as I have a brand new bag and all.

But really, there's one reason why I'm doing this. This is what memories are made of. I don't remember the countless microwavable TV dinners that my family made, but I do remember making christmas cookies with my grandma - and the last time we did that I was seven (I got yelled at for not using all of the sprinkle choices - I had my favorites). I remember making tuna salad with my other grandma, even though I hate the stuff. And one of my favorite memories of Sean and I is making a cake with powdered sugar instead of flour (we were bored at midnight, what can I say?).

It doesn't bother me that this is who I'm becoming, because I know the fact that I forgot to peel the carrots I put in the roast this morning is just another memory (and one that Sean will likely never let me forget). My future family isn't going to rely on microwavable meals. Hell, Sean and I don't rely on them (though we are guilty of frozen pizza). And if what I'm cooking doesn't turn out? I have no qualms about cooking up a pack of ramen or having cereal for dinner.

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