Cooking Therapy

I really think it is true. Cooking is therapy if the conditions are right. If the conditions are right, I will do it all day and love it. In fact I have done it quite a bit in the last several months to support all of our get togethers which have not slowed down any since moving here.

Here are the conditions:

First, the kitchen has to have some size to it so there is plenty of prep area and still have space to move around and to think. My current house and the one in Fort Lee were great for that.

Second, I like to cook alone with no one breathing down my neck, asking me questions, or running circles around me, or even trying to help me. It must be alone or it isn't happening! Or there is a big difference in quality.

In Fort Lee all I had to do was shut the door and I was in my own room. Here, I live in an open floor plan so it is not that easy, therefore I have to send the kids outside or to "their side of the house" for the peace I require.

Third, having all the fun gadgets helps, but more important then that is the aestetics of the gadgets I am using to bring the meal together. When I have a great bowl to stir all my ingredients together or serving platter to put it on or a pretty pan to cook it all, I am more apt to want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen so I can use these things because they bring me joy!

Last week I cooked some Chiles Rellenos which turned out awesome.


I used Anaheim peppers with all the seeds removed so the kids could enjoy it also.


I stuffed the peppers with cheese, garlic, basil and sun-dried tomatoes


Then I covered each chili with an egg roll wrapper so I could fry them up


Then I put some homemade marinara sauce over the top with a tiny bit more cheese. They were tasty and crunchy!