Days 14 Through 19: Same Old Things and Revelations

I realized after starting this blog, that challenging myself to cook once a day was a great idea. And it is. I'm enjoying it. Even if I don't update every day, I'm still spending at least one meal in the kitchen.

However.

When you are short of funds, you start to realize that you eat a lot of the same old things, because they are a) cheap, b) easy to throw together, and c) come from a box.

Case in point: Mac n' Cheese. (With tuna and frozen peas n' carrots, of course.)

Or TexMex salad in a bag. Or Hamburger-freakin' Helper.

And I seriously don't think you need updates from that sort of eating.

Then I had a revelation. I realized that by making these meals, I was, essentially, being a lazy cook. A good chunk of the population can boil water, brown ground beef, and toss powdered flavoring on it. It's harder to find meals that are relatively healthy, with good quality ingredients that don't cost a small fortune.  I can find and incorporate specialty items, as they come along, things that I haven't tried... tips and tricks I've picked up over the years (like how to perfectly hardboil an egg. No, really.)...things I find culinarily inspiring (Pinterest will be my downfall).

Now, I'm not a health nut. Neither is Dragon. I'm not trying to sell you some diet, or change your eating habits or whatever. But I do want to romance my stove a bit more because it's just... a gorgeous, inspiring kitchen setting. So what I propose is this: I'm going to update this every time I make something new. Something that *hasn't* been on this blog before. I'm going to try tweaking it to be better for us, but I'm not going to shy away from the stuff that is, perhaps, a bunch more decadent either.

Should be fun, right?

~Snarkstress

Romancing The Stove: The Once A Day Meal Project (OADMP) is born!

Welcome to the Once A Day Meal Project, also known as OADMP or, "Ye gods, she's starting something else" according to my husband.

What Is The OADMP?

It's a new year, and with the new year come all the usual resolutions: sweat more, participate more, drop more pounds, quit that lingering habit, be a better person. You know the drill.

I, personally, gave up on hardcore resolutions years ago because I know myself. I always go into the year with the best of all possible intentions and end up slacking off by February, and by June it's like, "What resolutions?"

At the end of 2013, my husband and I were embroiled in some truly bizarre events that ended with us having to up and move everything on a moment's notice to a new house. Now, I've always enjoyed cooking, but to be completely honest, I'd been letting it fall by the wayside. I could give many excuses, but the truth is, I just wasn't inspired to get in the kitchen and could. It *could* have something to do with the kitchen at the old house being ... boring. Standard issue white appliances, electric range, limited counter space etc.

Oh, and did I mention that the kitchen was literally linked with the living room? I know. First world problems.

So when we moved into this new house, it was the kitchen that really snared my fancy, and I felt this compulsion, this... need, if you will, to spend time in it cooking. I will eventually post some pictures of said inspirational kitchen, but that's for another post. (After I get it situated exactly as I want it.)

In the meantime, I was cooking one night in late December when it occurred to me that in order for me to spend more time cooking, less time buying fast food and whatnot, I might need a little push. Something to keep me accountable.

Thus the OADMP was born.

How Does It Work?

It's simple.

Working from home, I really don't have much of an excuse to *not* cook. So I'm challenging myself this year: One meal a day will be cooked in that kitchen. Every day. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert, once a day will find me in the kitchen making food.

And to keep myself accountable, I'll post about it here.

With pictures. Because I know you all love pictures.

What Do You Plan To Achieve?

I'm not looking for internet fame. I'm not looking for thousands of followers or mad ad deals that rake in the cash. I am a snarky, opinionated, 30-something woman, married 11 years to a man I affectionately call Dragon, sharing a house with 2 beta fish and enough cats to make us teeter precariously on the edge of "too many" (also known as The Feline Mafia) in temperamentally mild Washington state.

My voice is my job. I narrate and edit audio books for amazing authors all over the world. My husband and I are also published authors, with two books already out and a third due this year.

I have blogged before (couchlocked.com, writersgonewild.blogspot.com, thenemesischronicles.com) and I have a little bit of what Dragon has referred to as "Ooh, Shiny!" brain when it comes to posting, but I really am well intentioned.

I tweet (@hrjacksontnc), instagram (CLSnarkstress), Pinterest (hrjacksontnc) and Facebook (thenemchron).

I am not afraid of swearing. And am not easily offended (let's not try to test this, shall we?). I know how the intertoobs can be. I read, I write, I watch movies, I like music. Y'know, I'm human. And I like interaction. Sometimes blogging feels like you're speaking to a vacuum. A Dyson with really great suction.

I have a camera. I am *not* a professional photog, and make no overtures to the contrary. I'm not going to spend an hour setting up a "food shot" and then several more hours doctoring it in photoshop before putting it up. I prefer to eat that food before it gets too cold.

My goal, pure and simple, is to challenge myself into seeing if I'm able to keep up with this cooking thing. To fall in love with cooking again. To take pride in it. And to see it as more than just nourishment for the belly, but also for stress relief and bonding time.

And if I can inspire even one of you (if there *are* any "you's" out there reading) to get in the kitchen and romance your stove, well, that will all be worth it.

~Snarkstress