Hi All - need a little break!

Been in the kitchen since 6:00 a.m. - now 12:00 noon. I have been working on my DIL birthday dinner which I will drop off at their house before work tomorrow.

She LOVES anything mexican, so I am glad to report I managed to make most of it with what I had!

Enchiladas[ only needed tortillas, spanish rice and tomato]
Black Bean and Corn Salad [first time I have made this and had everything on hand but a lemon and pepper - man is that good tasting]
Crumbed topped pumpkin cheesecake cups
Chocolate covered cherry cupcakes I made this weekend and froze
Homemake frozen raspberry yogurt [only needed the yogurt].
Not to shabby. Wish someone would do that for ME!

What I spent won't come out of the grocery fund anyway but I am happy with the outcome and used up some pantry items.

Juju: Wow! No, not too shabby, at all! I am sure your DIL will appreciate her b'day dinner and I hope someone will return the favor when it is your b'day. You two must have a very special relationship.

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Dinner, last night, was rice, salmon sauted with onions and tomatoes, and leeks. Packed up some of the leftovers for DD's lunch. There is enough salmon leftover for another dinner for us both and lunch for DD.

Bless: thanks - I am working on our relationship...it had a bumpy start. They have only been married 1 1/2 years. She does not cook so I try to make a dinner on each of their birthdays that hopefully they would enjoy.

Have to butt in here. How is it that the gals now don't cook?
I have heard of this more and more with the younger gals, and I know they are terribly busy with jobs, children, etc., but I was too and managed to ccok my main part of the meals (meat, etc)
on the weekend, along with desserts for the kids each day after school,(they had to be frozen or they would have eatten the entire week's treats in one day). I did all of this while working full time. How can they get away with it?
What do they eat. I am just amazed!

Diane: Butt right in - my question exactly. The word princess comes to mind and no interest in learning. My DS cooks his own food. Yes, I was just like you DID IT ALL. I took over the cooking in my house at the age of 9 - I was a much better cook than my mother, but I happen to enjoy it. I have offered to teach - nope, not interested. You may now shake and scratch your head!!.

Dropped off the birthday meal and extras this morning before DS went to work - they will eat good for a couple days! DS will make big pots of chili and bake bread and will at least take a stab at it.

I think there have always been women who didn't like to cook. But, in the past, they cooked because they had fewer options available to them.

I have several friends and relatives who either don't cook or do minimal cooking. For them, cooking is a chore. They have someone else cook or they buy pre-made meals.

I enjoy cooking, for the most part.

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I cooked a very spicy beef curry, last night. DD and I had it with bread rolls for dinner and I sent a curry-filled bread roll for her lunch. I brought leftover rice, salmon and leeks for my lunch.

I put pork chops to marinate, overnight, so, we'll have that for our dinner tonight. Probably with broccoli and cauliflower (DD will like that! She loves her vegetables. I don't!) I might have my pork chop with green peas and the last of my cranberry-orange relish.

We'll be having leftovers for lunches/dinners the rest of the week.

Please forgive me if I came off wrong with my comments before in response to Diana..I was only speaking about my immediate senario. I know a lot of people that think cooking is a chore also. Geez some days it's a chore for me!

I guess I like having the flexibility to cook what I want or eat out if I would choose. I have a hard time understanding not wanting to gain the knowledge when it is freely given so that you have a choice and not depend on someone else.

Some of us got burned out just watching the previous generation do it all!

I love to bake, but really don't like to cook. Makes a lot of mess for just one meal. I feel I get more bang for my buck with baking. I'm also not creative so all my meals tend to be the same. Guess I should do that recipe challenge!!!

I'm younger in my mid-20's and I love to cook but I especially like to bake. But lets be honest its not always easy to have the time to cook and bake --things always come up (work is a big issue for example plus family commitments for example).

My big project for this weekend is to go through and write up a freezer and pantry inventory list so that I can better plan my meals.