Roast Mutton

Skills and talents rarely reveal themselves in times of ease. It seems like nowadays everything is easy for the young. My parents constantly tell me how my mom learned to cook for the family and clean the house by the time she was much younger than me. My dad was on the jobsite raising houses from the time he was 14 and learned that there was nothing more important to an employer than work ethic. My Grandpa tells stories from Friesland about how he had to help out around his family's farm from a very young age to help get them through the war.

Every decade it seems life gets easier for kids, I spent my young years playing around the property, not managing its upkeep; my early teens playing house, not building them. kids these days can probably design them on their ipads and never take a step towards dad's scrap lumber pile.

Now when I moved out, despite having lived away from home in college for 4 years, I didn't have all that much faith in myself as a chef. I had never been truly tried and tested the way my parents and grandparents had, it was never vital that I learn the skill...until now. So when it came time to feed myself and my fellow Hobbit, I stuck to the few and easy recipes I already knew. And then I started experimenting. Slow cooked teriyaki chicken, mashed potatoes with kale and cheese filled sausages, butterscotch marshmallow squares, and crescent roll casseroles. I may curse that I'm turning out 'just like my mother' but you know, deep down, I'm really pleased I have this talent. And I never would have discovered it had I not forced myself to just step out of my comfort zone and just TRIED. Now what should I try next?
                                            -EB


 I've always been pretty happy and confident in my baking and cooking skills. I can remember, from a very young age, always asking if I could help with whatever baking my mom was doing; and ALWAYS helping my dad make pizza on Saturday nights. Even when I was too little to even look over the counter a chair would be pulled up to stand on.

 I love cooking and baking. Mostly baking. When Esther and I moved to The Hobbit Hole we both talked about how we didn't like cooking for ourselves but didn't mind it when we had others to cook for. I will be honest. I do not cook as often as I should/would like, but that is the sad thing about being away from home a few nights a week. Anyway. Esther took up the responsibility of cooking quite a bit. (No complaints here!) I clearly remember one Sunday afternoon at her family's household when I mentioned how amazing Esther's cooking is. Her mom, dad and older sister all stopped mid bite and just stared. "Esther cooks?!" her mom asked. I was shocked to hear that it wasn't a common occurrence in their household. Though I am sure happy that it is one in ours!

 It will be interesting to see what new recipes Esther and I will come up with over the next who-knows-how-long of a time we will be living together. I feel like I would be more inclined to cook and bake if we had an oven that could actually fit a normal sized baking sheet. (silly apartment sized oven and tiny kitchen) O well. We have a roof over our heads and a (mostly) warm apartment (nothing that a blanket can't fix) so I can't complain about a small kitchen. Next place will be bigger, but for now, The Hobbit Hole will do just fine as it has for the last 6 months. . . WOAH! 6months living with this Hobbit already?!?!

                                                       -EV