Chef M3RLz

My mom is an excellent cook who's been making meals for over 45 years! Our household is known for having visitors who are "in the neighborhood" and happened to "stop by" to see how my mom is doing. Of course, the conversation always includes "I'm hungry; what did you make today".

My mom is a devout Christian woman who strongly believes that sharing is caring. No matter who comes through the door, they have to sit down and eat and 95% of the time that's exactly why they are "in the neighborhood" or have "stopped by" to do.

While our visitors are stuffing their faces eating, they always ask "can you cook as well as your mom?".  My reply has always been "Why are you all up in my business?! I can't cook".

Honestly, I can cook. I just refuse to cook for non-immediate family members. The responsibility of being half as good as my mom is stressful enough without the added anxiety that comes from impressing others. Once I manage to amaze my mom, I can cook for anyone without any hesitation! Trust me.

During my childhood and teenage years, I voluntarily accepted every single corporal punishment unleashed upon me for not wanting to cook. I wore each punishment as a badge of honor. Then I realized that one day I would have a family of my own. One day, but not today. I was in my early 20's when I started learning how to cook and it was only because my boyfriend kept impressing me with his West Indian meals. If a man can cook, why can't I?

Fast forward to my late 20's, when learning to cook moved to the top of my list instead of the bottom. So for the past few years, I've been cooking once a month to showoff my culinary skills. According to my mom, I don't have any. With that being said, it's very frustrating to satisfy someone who thinks all American-style cooking is sub-par and bland. The only dishes that I'm "actually decent" at making is lasagna, spaghetti, and stuffed shells, which are all Italian dishes. "Actually decent" is a good compliment when mumbled by my mom; it means that if we ran out of food and one of her many visitors appeared, she would feel confident enough to serve it to them. But if they get food poisoning, that's their fault for asking to sample my food. (Yes, that was a disclaimer....)

This year, I've been cooking once or twice a week but today I've decided to showcase my food. I don't have anywhere else to post these pictures. It's my blog, so my rooms. Now don't judge me too harshly.

Feta Cheese and Plum Tomato Pasta Salad

05/22/2012

Spicy Lemon Shrimp and Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

09/08/2012

I like everything well done. "If it ain't burnt, it's not ready yet."

Look out for more food related posts.

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