In high school, I couldn’t stand biology class. It was hard, there was a lot of memorization, and we didn’t get to cut things up as often as I’d have liked. I’ve always been a kinesthetic hands-on learner and lecture classes have always made me struggle. When I got to chemistry, though, my fertile mind really grasped the concepts because it was less about the lecture and more about learning through practical experiments. I loved following the directions, measuring out the elements and watching science take place right in front of my eyes.

—–

Growing up in a house full of picky eaters, my mother didn’t really ever get to flex her cooking chops. I tease her and often joke about the fact that she only made three things and rotated them (chicken & rice, spaghetti, french toast – the way she makes them are still my favorites!).

My dad and brother basically ate meat and potatoes. Experimentation was never really encouraged and often when we had a new dish, we were forced to choke down three “big kid” bites. When I ate at friends houses’ I almost always was introduced to something new and it took a while to understand that just because I’d never had it, didn’t mean that I wouldn’t like it.

Then I went off to college and ate crappy, bland, and high fat foods in a cafeteria. Three years later, I moved to DC and had a roommate from Texas who could cook anything and everything. It blew my mind that she could make something new and different every night of the week. There were spices I’d never heard of, dishes that seemed foreign, and flavors that rocked my world.

But I never bothered to ask her to show me how she did it.

—–

Five years ago, I decided that I probably wouldn’t be moving out of the condo any time soon, so I wanted to make my condo my castle. Remodeling the kitchen was a huge investment, but I knew it was the thing that would make the biggest difference in my home life. I already loved to entertain, but a new kitchen would make me even prouder of my little space on this earth.

I selected new floors, cabinets, and countertops, then went off to the Depot to choose appliances. While I was there looking at several different models of ranges, microwaves, cooktops, and products, I decided that enough was enough and while I was investing in my kitchen, it was also time to invest in my cooking skills.

I purchased cookbooks and new cookware. I made a concerted effort to actually use it all. I invited friends and family over with the caveat that if anything was inedible, I’d order pizza.

And I realized that spices made everything better; that a meal wasn’t just the main dish; that something made with care and shared with loved ones always tasted fine; and that following directions and then knowing when to go off and make personal little edits, could result in something beautiful.

It was just like that chemistry class…once I learned how to follow the directions and learn as I went, I could see something wonderful and tangible unfurl right before my eyes. Not only did I learn to cook, but I developed a new degree of self-confidence and pride.

And that, my friends, always tastes delicious.

Linking up to Just Write…please stop by and check out some of the other beautifully written posts!

A couple of weeks back, I cooked up some bacon for deviled eggs. They were amazing, but I never have really known how to best dispose of the grease. Out of the blue, I got a wild hair and decided to drain the remnant fat into a small dish and set it aside to deal with later.

Quite honestly, I forgot about the bacon grease/fat until I got home from the party. And when I began to clean up, I found that it had solidified.

I still wasn’t sure if I was going to have to scrape the yuck out, but then thought about heating it up a bit to see if it would slide out.

After about a minute, I noticed the edges starting to reliquify. I had a trash bag in the sink and when I went to test the combination, it just slid right out. Viola!

I’m not sure where I heard about this method or if I just dreamt it up. Either way, it worked and I was thrilled to have a new plan for removing grease and fat!

Have you ever tried this or have a similar plan for draining removing fat and grease???

I’ve been traveling a bit lately, and frankly, have used the excuse that I was between trainers to become lazy about maintaining my weight loss. I’ve watched the scale start to creep back up, so last week, I decided it was time to knock that crap off.

I find that while at work, I feel snacky quite often. My breakfast regime used to keep me full until lunch, but I think it was time for a change.

Some time ago, I bought some Carnation Instant Breakfast packages. I took a quick look at the side of one and noticed directions for a breakfast smoothie. I decided to try it and it was not only delicious, but it was just what I needed to get me through until lunch without starving!

Give it a try sometime, if you, too, need a breakfast routine switcheroo!

Ingredients: 1 package of Carnation Instant Breakfast, 3/4 cup of skim milk, 1/2 a frozen banana, 1/2 cup of ice. (FYI – this weekend, I bought the No Sugar Added Rich Milk Chocolate flavor and it was almost as good as the regular one!)

Directions: Throw everything into a blender and then serve. (My blender is a personal size one from Target and I LOVE it. You can drink straight out of it, too!)

This is not a sponsored post. Who in their right mind would pay me for a review as ridiculous as this?

This recipe is being shared for Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Please go check out some other AWESOME recipes right now!