Cooking from scratch

One of the things I enjoyed most during our year in the U.S. was NOT having to cook and bake from scratch. I was so happy to buy the ready made biscuits, rolls, pie crusts, pie filling, spaghetti sauce, brownie, cake and muffin mixes, etc. I vowed I would not make anything from scratch the whole year and I didn't!!

So, here we are back in Peru and I'm actually enjoying cooking and baking from scratch again. (Ask me about it in a few months and it may be a different story) Here, there are no canned soups, no ready-to-bake mixes or doughs, and definitely no cookie dough already cut into circles! But I'll tell you, my spaghetti sauce is tasting pretty good, as are my homemade biscuits, muffins and brownies. I also feel a little better about myself when the extra effort is put into preparing food for my family.

Aren't we, as Americans, always looking for the faster, easier way to do things?? I know I am. Let someone else do the work and we'll just enjoy the benefit, right? Well, I am learning that the things I put a little more effort into, I appreciate a bit more, even food.

May I never look for shortcuts and the easy way when it comes to the important things in life. It takes loads of effort and energy to be a mom, no news flash there. It also takes time, effort and a lot of thought to keep my relationships fresh and growing.

Yes, I'm happy when I can pop open a can of crescent rolls and bake.....but wow, I felt really good about myself when my family ooohed and aaahed over the cake I made from scratch!

I also love reading what other people have studied and written about relationships, but wow, how good it feels when I've actually done the work and see the results!

Miriam