Marriage and Pinto Beans

Wednesday night, my good pal Kristi called me to catch up. She asked the usual "So what are you up to?" And I replied "I'm just watching tv and cooking some pinto beans." We both got a good laugh out of that! Wow, how things have changed. Before I got married I would never have thought about cooking beans for two hours, watching them carefully, adding water every few minutes so that they don't burn. I mean, you really have to babysit those beans or I guess beansit is a better word. :)

Yes, marriage changes a woman in many ways. For me, cooking was one of those ways. I didn't do very much cooking when I was single (well, to be honest I really didn't cook at all.) I enjoyed eating out quite a bit or sometimes I would just eat cereal for dinner. I didn't care for leftovers so cooking a big meal for one person seemed like a waste of money and food. But cooking for my husband is important to me and something that I do enjoy. It is difficult sometimes though because there's still part of me that would love to just eat out. Let someone else do the cooking for me. But fortunately for me, Wes likes to cook occasionally and he's good at it. It's a real treat for me when he does.

Before we got married, I was concerned that I wouldn't be a good cook. I used to have conversations with my mom about this issue. I told her that if I could just be a tenth of the cook she was that I would be happy (I've said the same thing to her about being a mother which is very true!). She assured me that cooking was in my genes. She didn't cook very much before she got married but she said that she just figured it out, trial and error. That gives me hope, since she is the best cook I know. So far, I would say that cooking has been a success. Wes seems happy with our meals which is what I care about most when I cook. It's funny because every time I cook something new, I have to wait for his reaction to it before I can enjoy my own meal. He is very encouraging and complimentary of my cooking (what a great husband!) I've also learned a lot about leftovers. In general, they are a good thing! They save me from cooking extra meals and we don't waste food. Surprisingly, I've decided that they actually don't taste that bad.

So, the pinto beans turned out pretty well. Wes enjoyed them so it was worth the two hours of beansitting! They still didn't taste as good as my moms but nothing I fix tastes that good. Like I said to her, I will settle for a tenth of her skill. So far I'd say that I've at least got that. I think that's a good place to start.