Sunday, January 5, 2014

Cheap and Relaxing Kicks Off 2014

Steven and I have a running joke that it doesn’t take much to amuse us.  We don’t mind splurging on ourselves once in a while, but generally cheap and relaxing is what we look for in activities with the main ingredient just being each other’s company.  I’ve been off the past two weeks – a gift of time when the Catholic University I work for is closed for Christmas/New Year’s and the addition of a few vacation days. 

It took me until I turned 50 to really enjoy sleeping in and taking naps!
It’s been blessedly low-key.  With Steve’s work schedule, we got a lovely mix of days and evenings together.  We slept in and took naps (a past time I’ve only recently come to appreciate in the past year or so); worked on a couple house projects and watched a few movies and TED talks with the new Google Chromecast he got us for Christmas.

It was also a reminder of just how much I enjoy our time in the kitchen.  I wouldn’t call us foodies, but we enjoy sharing our meals and have developed a smooth flow around the kitchen when we cook together.  Steve’s often inspired to combine foods that I would never think to (with delicious results!) and I love to cook a wide range from simple to elaborate meals.  We can easily entertain ourselves with a night of conversation over a good meal. 
Ours looked just like these from the website!


Steve mentioned he’d like to make a bunch of crock pot freezer meals for when I go back to work and our schedules get tight.  And in Team Morgan fashion, it became an adventure.  Friday we looked at the website, Mommy’s Fabulous Finds, reviewed the recipes, shopping list and headed to the store.  Yesterday afternoon we laid everything out on the counter, brought over Steve’s lap top and started the prep work.  In just a few hours, we chopped peppers, onions, garlic and meats, assembled and labeled the ten meals and cleaned up.  We had a ball and are already talking about ideas for the next batch of meals.

Like I said, it really doesn't take much to amuse us.  Long live cheap and relaxing!

8 comments:

  1. That sounds wonderful. We do not cook together. I have a one man (woman) kitchen, but we do share the work. I cook and we eat and he cleans up. Works just fine!
    We are a
    So cheap and relaxing kinda people, so I get it. Love it.

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    1. I've seen some of the recipes you posted Jo and they look wonderful, no matter how many cooks are in the kitchen! ;-)

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  2. Amy, it sounds like a wonderful vacation. Tim and I cook together, too, and we like trying new recipes every so often along with our old favorites. He is the vegetable chopper and meat cutter, and I do the easy stuff--the actual cooking! These pre-prepared crock pot meals look great.

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    1. One of these days Elaine we'll share another lovely meal together - maybe one that we cook if you travel this way. :-) I bet your meals are yummy!!!

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  3. Cooking has always been a family affair at my house. If my kids could bang on a pot they could stir something in a bowl! It wasn't always tidy, in fact most of the time it was messy but that's part of it, isn't it? Crock pot meals are the best, especially for busy households and easy on the pocketbook for large Italian families like mine!

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    1. So glad to hear your kids love it too - our son was always welcome in the kitchen and he's a great cook today!

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  4. Oh you both sound a lot like Jose and me, Amy. We share the cooking too and go for the simple pleasures! Love the colours in those packets!

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    1. Even more than the colors, it just felt SO satisfying! Happy cooking to you and Jose!

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