Dear Kossacks,
You did it. You got me to go to the grocery store and buy ingredients for dinner. Kind of. I kind of cheated. But, as I type, supper is bubbling in the pot, and daughter number one should be home from her softball game soon. Won't she be surprised! I couldn't have done it without you.
I came to you with my problem earlier today. You all came through for me: over a hundred suggestions for the slow process of learning how to cook. And lots of great recipes. So, I thought I'd share my experience at the grocery store.
I figured that knowing me, I'd try to be over-ambitious, and sure enough, I went in with huge ideas. I was going to buy fresh Ahi ($18.99 a pound) or Northwest King Salmon ($22.99 per pound) and I would make a nice sauce to go with it, cook some rice, and make a salad. All suggestions from y'all.
I tell you, I stood in front of that fish counter and I felt myself begin to panic. Who was I kidding? How humiliating would it be to watch that much money go up in a noxious cloud of black smoke while my rice stuck to the pan and my radicchio wilted?
I began to pace. Maybe, I could buy some of Wegman's pre-made goodies and pass them off as my own. Nah. That didn't feel right. My daughter would know that I suddenly hadn't figured out how to make curried chicken salad or green beans tossed in some fancy-schmancy vinaigrette.
Indian take-out was beginning to sound like a good idea, but quite frankly, I can't afford to do take-out every night, although my fear of cooking is so extreme that I do pay for take-out almost every night.
So, I took a deep breath. I picked out a really nice loaf of crusty Italian pane. Then I went to produce and bought some gorgeous strawberries. I walked over to the aisle with the soups and beans/rice combos. To my horror, Wegman's no longer carries Zataran's (another DKos idea). Then, I spotted it. A little round tin: "Wegman's Mediterranean Bean Soup Mix." All I had to do was measure out six cups of water, bring to a boil, and simmer the soup mix for 20 minutes. Voila. A meal.
It's not a fancy meal. But it ain't take-out. I'm so grateful to y'all. Don't be surprised if those of you who offered to teach me your easiest recipes receive e-mails from me. I'm serious. I'm a changed woman.