Dinner Belle

It's no secret that the husband didn't marry me for my cooking abilities. I'm sure I could be a great cook but my interests are elsewhere. Now, that being said...if you came to my house you would think I was very much into whipping up a culinary delight at a moments notice with all my beautifully bound cookbooks and cabinet full of Le Creuset. But alas, the husband spends more time in the kitchen than I do. I CAN cook...just don't. That being said, recently I have tried to take a more vested interest in doing so. If not for the sheer fact that most afternoons I'm bored, the toddler is tired, whiny, and needing constant attention so I've devised a routine of putting her in her highchair and rolling her into the kitchen so she can watch as I chop, mince, measure, and stir. She loves it and it's become somewhat therapeutic for me. On Saturday we ventured to our local farmer's market where we bought sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, basil, peppers, and a few other delights. I've mashed the sweet potatoes, sauteed the squash and zucchini, made jalapeno cornbread, chopped the basil and heirlooms and made an incredible Caprese pasta. Tonight...I'll tackle shrimp and grits...using the stone milled grits we recently bought at the honor box at Sciples Mill in Kemper County, Mississippi...a water mill that's been in continuous operation since 1790. I think I enjoy the history of the food as much or maybe more than the actual cooking process itself...I come from a family of farmers and as much as I've strayed from that country road...I will always love the simpleness of fresh food, prepared with love. Now...does Prada make an apron?