How To Be A Domestic Goddess

My mom has always had such high hopes for me... I think she wanted me to be musical. She is an AMAZING singer. She was Eliza Doolittle in the College Production of 'My Fair Lady', for which I hear she received high praise and wild acclaim! Go J!

I wanted so badly to be talented when I was little. I DID take voice lessons and piano lessons and I would like to report that I can STILL play "The Entertainer", "The Rainbow Connection", and the left hand of "Heart and Soul", (maybe even the right hand on a really ambitious day). And, I even sang the solo part of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" in the Jr. High Production of "Americana." - But, I'd be lying if I said I was any good at either.

I am pretty sure my mom realized I was no good musically... or at ballet, drill team, a variety of sports and/or acting/plays (although my mom did talk the Play Director into recruiting me and giving me ONE line in 'Annie Get Your Gun', but I am pretty sure my dad donated money or something)!

You get the point... there’s not so much in the talent department for me. But, still my mom has high hopes and she still tries. Her most recent quest... drum roll please... is to get me to cook. Unfortunately, the ability and desire to cook is a trait I picked up from my dad. Since I was little, my dad taught me that cooking encompasses any and all food preparation (toast, salad, Spaghettios, eggs, cereal - in fact, I just "cooked" myself the best bowl of Golden Grahams the other night for dinner... it was DIVINE).

My mom currently works at Williams-Sonoma for fun - which makes Cori so excited, given her propensity to covet every dish set, pan collection, and flatware/stemware set ever created. So, for years now she has been buying me cooking accessories. It all started with a cookbook I got for Christmas... 'How to be a Domestic Goddess'. I have to admit, I love the title! But, in the 3 years I've owned it, I have never once made anything from it. Last year, my sister Jennica jumped on the band wagon and got me a year-long subscription to some cooking magazine. It comes faithfully every month; and I shelve it faithfully every month in the Pantry/Laundry Room/Broom Closet along with the others from months prior.

Last week, the darndest thing happened! The October issue of my Cooking Magazine came, and I decided to cook (in the true sense)! Could someone please help my mom off the floor, clearly she's fallen over by now?!? I HEART Asian food, so I decided to cook this Red Thai Curry Noodle Beef Concoction. Robin and I spent half the day Saturday looking for one key ingredient - Red Thai Curry, which is NOT easy to find. We finally found it on the 4th try. But it WAS easier to find than parking at the Asian Market. Literally, Robin and I were making fun on the fact that the store had valet parking. It seemed absurd. But, guess where we parked?!? It was well worth the $2. Robin made a new friend, but decided that she and he did not speak the same Asian dialect, since he could not be of much assistance.

All-in-all, it turned out OK. I am thinking of cooking something again next year.