If I Could Only Cook Food as well as I Bake Clay.

With the array of kitchen tools available in my studio, along with other kitchen items like cornstarch, veggie oil and such, you might get the impression that I can cook! What would give you that idea? I mean, I do own 5 pasta machines which have never seen an ounce of flour - only polymer clay. I can not cook....nor do I want to cook. I'd rather eat Dana's fancy gourmet meals at home (he's a cooking genius!). And if I can't be home, I've been fortunate enough enjoy the cuisine of many fine restaurants around the world in the process. I don't even mind settling my fast food craving once in a while. I just don't like to cook.

This week however, I was forced to give in to cooking. Not by choice, but by necessity. Dana was really sick. If he's too sick to cook, you know he's REALLY sick! I digress though, actually, there are a few things I can cook and that I would say I specialize in, one is Cashew Pheasant, I would put that up against any Chinese restaurant here in Springfield. I make mean Chinese, but not so great fried chicken. I made it lets see......on Thursday night and it flopped, well not literally....but it wasn't great or even good - I think it was the breading.... If that wasn't bad enough, I tried to re-heat the left overs for yesterday's lunch and I burned them. (I'm used to baking clay....not wings!) Dana took one look it and said..." Come on kids, I'm taking you to McDonald's!". And so there it was...McDonald's for lunch! (um...okay....so..........just so you know....I warned him that I couldn't cook before I married him.)

Last night though was a different story, yes I did cook...no I didn't burn it, rather it was amazingly pretty awesome! ( I know....surprise your face! Surprised mine!) [insert clapping and cheering] I made home made pizza. A few months back I did a post on making your own sausage from wild game. We made around 20 pounds of sausage that day some of which was Italian sausage.

I think most of us would relate crafting to making things like cards, painting, jewelry making etc... But crafting can also involve culinary arts as well. The greatest thing about this pizza was that it was a real family project. Not so much the actual putting together of the pizza itself, but the whole family was involved the day we made the sausage. The home made pizza sauce was made from tomatoes we canned from last years garden. We even made the dough from scratch.

There were some real high fives around the dinner table as we celebrated the work and remembered the day we all pitched in to make the sausage. Eating pizza and sharing a meal as a family was just a few of the rewards.

Sharing a meal with the family seems to be a precious commodity these days. Everyone in the family seems to lead such hectic lives and the parents are working long hours just to make ends meet. So when you do get the chance....THINK HOMEMADE PIZZA - It's a great way to spend some quality time together as a family and make something yummy to eat as well!!

Well....since he's feeling better, I think I'll go back to doing the kind of baking I'm better at - CLAY! It's his turn in the kitchen tonight! (now I'm clapping and cheering!)

If you can't laugh at yourself........who can you laugh at?