Domesticated

If you know even the slightest thing about me, you would know that I do not, absolutely cannot stand, really don't like... cooking! I don't look forward to cooking every night for the rest of my life and my philosophy to this point has been to hold off doing it as long as I possibly could. I did a fantastic job at that goal, but those glory days of having mom cook are, well, over! It's a very sad tragedy! Regardless, it's probably time for me to learn.

My roommate and I split dinners. So far, we have kept them simple and I have had many options to work with... but the other day, my roommate decided she was going to be a bit more brave and try cooking a pork loin in the crock-pot. I wasn't going to stop her. It was her turn to cook and it sounded wonderful to me. So we researched recipes and bought all the necessary items to have a wonderful pork loin with cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Then last minute she found out she was going to be in class all day the next day.

So what happened?!? She begged and encouraged me to make it. Um... remember how I have avoided all cooking up to this point. I know how to make mashed potatoes. That's it! Raw meat scares me and is not a cheap item to mess up on when you are on a college budget. It took a lot of prodding on her part, but I finally caved!

That night I placed the meat in yummy sauce and we marinated it (yeah, I just learned that this process happens in the fridge - you can laugh at my stupidity, I did too!) The next day, I seared the meat (also a first for me) and then placed it in the crock-pot with all the other items. Once it was finished, I made gravy (definitely a first!!) and had it all ready before my roommate even got home. The apartment smelled fantastic, and much to my surprise, it tasted fantastic! (The meat was kinda dry, but I am focusing on my success and not my perfectionist viewpoint!)

I am actually really glad my roommate ended up putting it all on me because I learned (hold on to your seats) that cooking isn't so bad! It was even kind of fun! I think I can even almost consider myself domesticated... well, at least I am getting there!! P.s. Thanks Amber and Jana for the apron!! It's not only incredibly stinkin' cute, it was a shirt saver!!