Now We're (not) Cooking

For years I've been telling myself that I might be a better cook if only... if only what? If only Hubby and I ate the same food at the same time? If only I had more practice? If only we had better appliances?

It's time to stop kidding myself. I might be a better cook if only I wanted to. I don't. There are so many wonderful things I haven't done yet, that I really want to do. At my age, I'd better get moving if I want to do a fraction of them.

Cooking isn't on the list. I don't even want a kitchen in the house. All it does is fill up with dirty dishes, whether I cook anything or not.

I love to watch the Food Network, but not to learn how to cook things. I love seeing dishes produced when I don't have to do the producing. I love to see how they are made. I might want to order them someday.

The comedy and the fiction on that network also amuse me. The 'meals in x number of minutes' are a perfect example. The clock hasn't started, yet every ingredient is cleaned, chopped, measured, and put in a separate little dish to be pan-ready. Oh yes, and the pan is ready too...greased and pre-heated.

Who did that? Elves? How long did that take? Will the elves stay to wash all of those dratted little dishes afterwards? I hope they do the pans too, so they're ready for the next 'meal-it-only-takes-x-minutes-to-make.'

Basically, prep work is a 'time suck.' Melons don't scoop themselves, veggies don't chop themselves, steaks don't shed their silverskins, and even pre-washed food needs to be washed. Bah.

So I don't want to cook. Fine. What happens if I tell my skillets to skedaddle, and tell my stove to stuff it? Well, one problem is... what to eat?

I need to get healthier and get this weight off. Yet a frozen meal from a weight-loss company, is processed food. It could be packed with sugar, preservatives, and enough sodium for a party of 12. Not to mention the genetic modification. No.No.

Simple, prepared, ready-to-eat food is out there. It's a matter of redefining "meals." I need to do some 'homework' at the grocery store. I need to do some 'homework' at the computer. But I don't need to do more 'homework' in the kitchen. Not like I could. It's full of dirty dishes.