Ingredients

Inspired by this blog, I've been almost actually cooking...almost. But, it's closer to cooking than about anything I've ever done before. We usually have a few dishes that we have on a semi-regular rotating pattern. Quick things like spaghetti (with sauce from a jar), frozen chicken breasts dumped in the crock pot with a bottle/jar of some type of sauce (BBQ sauce, honey-ginger dressing, and sesame are the current faves), and generic hamburger helper-type meals are common around here. This blog, however, has given me the confidence to try a few new things.

So far this week, we've had Autumn Sausage Casserole (sounded weird but the crew LOVED it), and Applesauce Chicken (another hit but less popular that the sausage dish). We're giving the crock pot a break tomorrow night (enchiladas - YUM!) but Thursday's menu calls for Brown Sugar Chicken. To make these meals, I've had to buy things I've never bought before...things like allspice and parsley flakes and red pepper flakes and...raisins - LOL! So, despite a few shopping trips that took me to unfamiliar aisles in the grocery stores, I think it's been worth the effort. I love having dinner ready when I get home in the evening. It makes the house smell extra cozy. I also like feeling like I am actually cooking. I mean I chop things and season things. How cool is that? All I need is some EVOO and I'll feel like a Rachel Ray of the crock pot world!

Anyone need ingredients? I've got them now!