Feeling Like A "Real" Wife and Mom Now

Growing up, I always was in awe of the women who could throw together a delicious meal without ever cracking open a cookbook. How did they do it? Was it magic? Did they have an innate knowledge of what ingredients went well together and what spices would perfect a dish? Does something magical occur the moment a woman becomes a wife and mother?

Well, over the course of my almost two year long marriage, I have come to realize that the secret to creating delicious meals is time and experience. As with any skill or talent, time and experience prove invaluable. While I have always considered myself a good cook and baker, I have never defined myself by those terms. In my mind a truly terrific cook or baker is one who can imagine and create delicious concoctions from scratch. A true master is one who writes the book, not one who uses it.

After countless meals cooked and deserts baked, I am proud to say that I have crossed the line between cookbook dependent wife and mom into the land of pioneers! I have taken risks and accepted the fact that I might fail. Someone might get poisoned. Well, not poisoned, but surely grossed out! And, I have succeeded. Progress has been slow, but it has paid off. I have created two of my own recipes that are husband and baby approved.

My creations are mainly due to the recipes that I have tried and enjoyed over the past two years. I have taken the back bones of basic recipes and been able to add and amplify them to meet my taste desires. So, in one sense, I am not a pioneer cook. I have created nothing new. Still, it is progress!

Tonights success was the semi crockpot chicken tortilla soup. I had numerous recipes available, but decided to have fun and try my own ideas. It is a basic chicken tortilla soup and could be embellished depending on your tastes and preferences.

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

One medium onion chopped

2 tbsp minced garlic

64 oz chicken broth

3 chicken breasts (around 1lb)

1 cup salsa

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground red pepper

1 can diced southwestern style diced tomatoes (jalapeños & green chilies)

4 oz can of diced green chilies

½ can black beans

1 cup frozen corn

1 tbsp Franks hot sauce

Place chicken breasts in crockpot and top with salsa and Franks

Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until the chicken shreds easily

In large pot, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until tender and translucent

Add the rest of the ingredients.

Shred the chicken/salsa mixture and add to the pot

Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until ready to heat

Serve hot topped with cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc. 

Another recipe that I have created is a chili recipe. This recipe was discovered in a similar way to my tortilla soup recipe. I took the basic chili recipe and tweaked  and added to it until I had the taste that I desired. I will share that recipe in a later post. It is pretty good, if I must say so myself.

So, why does creating a recipe make me feel like a "real" wife and mom? It is probably due to the fact that I grew up watching reruns of early sitcoms in which the mom was the perfect 1950s woman with a little sass and humor mixed in. Or it might be due to my slight addiction to cooking shows in which women simply throw together wonderful dishes. Whatever the reason, I feel a sense of accomplishment in finally making a dish my own. I am growing up :)

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11 Months Old!

This past week, Ella turned 11 months old. Only one more month to go until her first birthday!  This year has truly flown by. One moment we are holding a calm little bundle of joy and the next we are dealing with a hyperactive, social, chatter box of a nearly toddler.

Ella has become even more social, vocal, and more of a spazz this past month. She is constantly "talking" and never lets you get a word in! It is cute to have her lecture us and I love hearing her voice as we go about our day. She has around 18 recognizable words and a couple ones that we she says consistently, but that we can't comprehend. Definitely will be dealing with some communication frustration soon! Her favorite words at the moment are "guy" (used for any non-animal creature), "cat" (used for animals except for duck, cow, and dog), and "mum" (She really likes yelling for me when she is frustrated or needs help). The boys that I nanny for have taken pride in teaching Ella to talk. I blame them for her non-stop chatter :)

Over this past month, Ella has become more loving and cuddly. She will often come up to me or Tim and lay her head in our laps or on our chests. So glad little miss independent finally discovered her affectionate side! She has also become a bit more of a spazz. Climbing and jumping around. Her favorite activity is to play on the couch and roll around and through herself backwards and forwards. It is terrifying when she is near the edge!

Another exciting (and messy) skill that Ella has begun to master, is the ability to eat with a spoon. Since she feeds herself, I have been giving her a spoon to practice with at meals during which a spoon would be appropriate. And after a couple of months of practicing and occasionally succeeding, she has finally figured out how to scoop and eat with a spoon. She still uses her hand 60% of the time, but it is fun to watch her try!

This month, we are looking forward to the holiday season. It will be Ella's first Thanksgiving and we are excited to see how she reacts to all of the food. She is a big foodie and it should be a blast watching her enjoy her first Thanksgiving feast. We have been pondering traditions that we would like to start with Ella this coming Thanksgiving and Christmas. Traditions are such a fun part of the holidays!

Raising Ella has been a blessing and a challenge. We are looking forward to the months and years ahead of us. There will be lots of stress, chaos, love, laughter, tears, cheers, pain, and joy. Every day I am thankful that God decided to add Ella to our little family. It is a tremendous gift and responsibility.

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