This one is for you, Meg! :)

So we have established one part my job description: provide food for my family. With this I am able to not only enjoy a favorite hobby (cooking), but also stay true to myself by eating healthily. This new job I have may not be so bad after all...

Over the years I have become rather particular about what I eat. Not that I don't love food! Don't get me wrong, I love a big bowl of chocolate ice cream or an order fries.  But these are definately a treat and are by no means kept in the house. I cringe at memories of cafeteria food freshman year of college...eek. More often than I'd like to mention I can remember going through the line struggling to find something appetizing. By the time I'd reach my usual table with my hall mates, I would have a bowl of ice cream. The end. I am embarrassed to say there were no fruits, no veggies! Ah, the horror! I feel nauseated remembering these days of malnutrition. Thankfully, I have matured greatly (and gradually) since then. So much is related to food...my well-being, my attitude, my energy levels. My point: I am very excited about my new freedom to cook full meals every day. :) If you haven't noticed, I 'm a bit obsessed. Moving on...

Everyone has things they don't enjoy. One thing that I have come to dislike is eating out (see previous paragraph). My dilemma: people around here prefer eating out for fellowship.... a lot. So do I (A) alter who I am, or (B) remain a hermit crab for my time here? Ah, but there must be an option C! And there is. I have decided to address the status quo by having people over for dinner. And so, I have a new way to use my hobby.

Our first dinner was a success. Thursday night a couple came over and we enjoy the aforementioned bread as a side. The night ended with a rousing game of Bananagrams (one of my new favorites).

Then came to second hosting. I'd always heard that cooking can be unnerving and at times a flop. I'd also noticed that people seem to particularly enjoy eating out on Sunday afternoons after church. In my naivety, I did not understand either of these facts.

Thursday afternoon we invited a couple whom we had met when we first began the interview process here back in April. They have been very welcoming and helpful through out the entire transition, so I thought it appropriate to host them for Sunday lunch! What a nice thought....

Saturday morning I looked through the cookbook, picking out a meal to cook for our friends the next day. It needed to be fairly quick, as I had 30 minutes between church and lunch. This would be a synch!       I found a lemon garlic chicken recipe, planned a spinach salad, pulled some corn from the freezer, and bought a loaf of whole wheat bread. (while the bread making experience was quite rejuvenating, I was not recovered enough to attempted a second go-around quite yet).  I had this hosting thing down pat! Famous last words.

It's 12:30pm Sunday. Lunch is a 1. Time to enter my cooking haven. Speed bump #1: Instead of boneless chicken breasts, I have somehow managed to purchase chicken strips. Yikes. No worries. I have a cabinet full of whole wheat pasta and sauces. The FBC pounding party has come to my rescue. I whisper a prayer of thank you, Lord, and proceed to make chicken alfredo. As the pasta is boiling, I open my bag of spinach to prepare the salad. Speed bump #2: The leaves are rotten to the bottom. Great, now what. Heaven forbid I host a lunch without vegetables (see first paragraph...yes, obsessed). As I am browning the chicken, my mind is processing the dilemma. Then at 12:40pm it hits me: lima beans!  Being a good wife, I keep a stock of my husbands favorite vegetable in the freezer: lima beans. Who would have thought they would come to the rescue for a such a well planned lunch?

It's 12:50pm. The beans are just finishing. The chicken and sauce are simply waiting on their noodles to be complete. And now the pasta is done boiling. Feeling very impressed with myself for fighting the food evils and producing a healthy meal in less than 30 minutes, I began straining the noodles. Let me pause by explaining another asset to my kitchen. You have met my Kitchen Aide mixer in the previous posting...I love her. Now you will meet my garbage disposal. With the simple flip of a button food can be washed down the drain, gone forever; no more reaching down the drain to pull out clogging food. Back to my story. I am draining the pasta, the final step to my meal. Suddenly, speed bump # 3 hits: the lid from my new pot slides out of my hand. Pasta begins spilling into the sink, and yes, down the garbage disposal. As I begin grabbing the pasta, the entire pot falls into the sink; there was not a single piece of pasta survivor that day. I only had a second to process and respond to this tragedy. Pounding party! I quickly slung open my packed shelves of food and grabbed another box of pasta. And at 1:15pm we were sitting down to eat a meal of chicken alfredo, lima beans, and bread. A pure miracle from heaven!

Convinced my new friends could sense the unnerving from the meal preparation, I jokingly confessed the entire process to my friend that afternoon at the pool. She assured me they had no idea. :)  But we will have a re-do in the future, that is for sure! Not only does God provide for His children, but He also has a sense of humor! And that Sunday, I was especially grateful for our generous new church family here at First Baptist. Thank you for the pounding party!

Proverbs 31:25b: "She can laugh at the days to come." I am NOT good at this; my husband can vouch for me on this. Being a choleric type A perfectionist, I can take life a bit too seriously. During this meal preparation, God gave me the ability to lighten up, and actually enjoy watching the meal fall apart and then come together.  God is good, and there is so much to learn! What an adventure!!