Steak & Potatoes

I love food.
There, I said it. It's out in the open now. I have a problem. With food. I love it. Problem is that it doesn't love me. Actually, the calories and fat doesn't like me...but still.
I love cooking.
I love "inventing" my own recipes and dinners.
I love watching my husband cook.
I love good food.

I may not be a great "foodie" and know everything there is to know about food. But, I don't claim to either. However, I do know good food. And I love it.

I think how a person cooks, eats and what they like says a lot about them. As for me, I'm a steak and potatoes type of girl. All the way. I'm not one to eat fancy stuff. As fancy as I get is calamari. And I was tricked into eating that the first time.

I love a good steak, some mashed potatoes and homemade macaroni and cheese. I really try hard not to cook stuff from a box that I can and know how to make fresh and homemade. My favorite food is cheeseburgers and French fries.

I eat my steaks medium rare, and Joshua eats his rare. Any more done, there isn't any flavor. I love a good ribeye. And Josh makes a damn good steak. Yummy! I especially love coming home and seeing him cooking after I've been at work.

I always want to ask him if whatever I've cooked is better than his Nanny's or his Mom's. But I know he will either ignore my question, or lie and say yes. I know better. They've had years to perfect their skills. I'm merely starting out. I'll get there eventually. But, if Josh had told me whatever I had cooked was better, I would first feel a small bit of pride. Then realize he is lying and laugh. I don't think I've ever met a man who didn't love his mother's cooking, no matter what age he is when you ask him. Which is why my mother had daughters. So we could cook for ourselves. She's not a very talented cook. Oh well.

Luckily for myself, and my sister, we inherited our cooking skills and love for food from my dad's side of the family. My dad is a great cook. I love when I go home and see he has cooked, I know I will get a good meal then. Unless it's fried chicken. That is probably the only thing he makes that isn't that great, and the ONLY thing my mom cooks that I get excited about!!

I grew up eating good food at every family function and especially at my Nanny's. I used to help her make homemade dumplings when I was younger. I thought I was so grown up when I was finally old enough to help her. I think that's where my first real love for food came from. Every meal she cooked was made with love. My papaw makes homemade jerky and beer cheese whenever the mood strikes him. Which isn't often. So when he does make it, I horde it away and try to stretch out how long it will last for as long as possible. It's delicious. When I was about 8-9 I learned the value of spices from my papaw. I had whined and cried and begged to help make the jerky marinade and he had finally gave in. So he handed me a bowl, a spoon, and set out all the sauces and spices he used. I started dumping stuff in immediately. When I handed it to him he handed it right back and said "you taste it first!"....it was horrible. He taught me to add a couple things at once unless I had a recipe and knew exactly what went into what I was making. So I added a couple different things. Tasted. Added more of other stuff. Tasted. So on and so forth, until I had what I thought was a pretty good marinade. My papaw agreed and we added beef strips to it to soak overnight. I think it was pretty successful for my first attempt.

Food is home to me. A good home cooked meal is love. Why else would someone slave over a stove to cook if they didn't love you? They wouldn't. Or, at least I wouldn't. As much as I love to share food, and invite people over to eat dinner, I don't go through nearly as much trouble unless it's someone I truly care for.

I'm so blessed to have married into a family who love food as well as I do. I'm pretty positive that every meal I have eaten that was cooked by Josh's mom or his Nanny was fabulous. And I love how they cook different things that I typically wouldn't eat. I've learned a lot from watching them all cook and eating their food. I love cooking with all of them. I'm lucky to have a husband who knows how to cook, likes to cook and doesn't complain about it. I especially love breakfast that Josh cooks. I still haven't completely gotten used to how the men in this family cook breakfast. Imagine waking up in Tennessee, and seeing 4-5 macho men cooking eggs and bacon. And doing a pretty damn good job at it too!! I love it. I'm smiling just thinking about it. So, Josh cooks breakfast at our house, and for the most part, if I'm not working late, I cook supper. It works for us. And that way, somebody isn't doing it all. Josh even does dishes sometimes! And folds clothes! He's pretty awesome!

To this rambling mess of a blog post down, I love food. I love good food. I love my husband, who is a awesome cook. And I love my husbands family, who are all awesome cooks as well. I love and cherish all the skills and little tips that many people have taught me throughout my life when it comes to cooking and food. I'm always up for suggestions, and recipe swapping. I really need to get a recipe binder/organizer. I like stuff like that to be organized and neat.

I will probably post some more about food in the near future.
And, if I remember, I may even post a few of my favorite recipes!!

With Love, Laughter, and a hungry belly,
LaShannon Spencer.

God Bless.