If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that it has been a reflection of my emotional life for the past dozen or so years. I started it on the advice of a very good therapist who I was seeing to help me process the depression that I felt when my three children grew up and moved out.
Over the years, this blog has helped me to express my feelings about moving into the “Empty Nest” years and learning to accept myself as something other than Momma.
If you’ve been reading my words for a while, you’ll know that I’m now a very happy grandmother, and that my grandchildren have more than filled the hole that was created by the absence of my kids.
I’ve written about politics (grrrrr), teaching, aging, friendships and life in general.
But now we’re caught in the horrors of 2020. No more visiting, no more vacations or travel or dinners out. Now my world has closed in around me.
It can be more than a little difficult to cope.
But luckily for me, there is always food to keep me sane! I love to eat. Therefore, I love to cook.
So I had an idea.
I am thinking that I’d like to start a new blog. A cooking blog. But not one of those pretentious, sous vide, balsamic reduction, adorable presentation blogs.
Instead, I want to write a blog for people who think that they ‘can’t cook’. You know, people who are intimidated by roasting a chicken. Or making a salad.
I know those people are out there, because some of them are my friends and relations! I want to convince them that anyone…..anyone…..can cook well enough to eat happily at home.
If I do that….will you follow me? Will you come along on my new journey to bring sanity, humor and fun into the average American kitchen?
I hope so. I am excited to try this out.
I do need a catchy name for this new site, so please weigh in if you have an idea. Maybe something along the lines of “Oh yes you CAN make dinner.” Or “Demystifying Dinner”. I don’t know. I trust you guys to be more creative.
Anyone?
Empty Nest, Full Life 
Hi Karen!
Perhaps the I Hate to Cook Blog? Oh I’m showing my age! My mom and hers loved Peg Bracken. Maybe Dinner When You Can’t Even?
How do you get around that 5 pm panic? Or the needing to grocery shop but can’t remember anything you’ve ever cooked and liked?
I’m panicking over politics and covid too. I’m livid my senior’s senior year has been stolen.
All best
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Oh, funny! My first draft was the “I hate to cook” page! I definitely like the “When you can’t even” idea. I’m honestly going for the whole sense of “open the fridge and toss it in the pan.”
Oh, what a world, huh? There are moments when I want the lockdown back, so I can just huddle in my house and bake……
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I don’t have any good ideas, but remember a comedy show I saw decades ago where the lady who couldn’t could was given a cookbook titled, “Meals for simpletons.”
Maybe you could do something like, “Simple Life, Simple Meals.”
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Oh, my gosh, I love “meals for simpletons!” Maybe I can play off of that…..”dinner for dolts” or “Cooking for the food impaired”???
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Or “Food for the Cooking Challenged” I think there might be something along this theme.
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Maybe “Meals for Real”??
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OOh, nice!!! I knew I could count on all of you! Thanks, Lynn!
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I’m in – I need a couple days to offer up a name!
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What is the food in the photo? At first I thought it was fried cheese, or as I used to call it “burnt” cheese. Aslice of cheddar thrown in the frying pan frizzled to perfection! But then I noticed a slightly yellow cast, which suggested more eggy fare…
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I was hoping someone would ask!!!
One of our absolute family favorites: squash blossoms! These are butternut squash blossoms, but we also love zucchini blossoms (more than the actual zukes). Just pick them when they are fully open in the morning, dip in egg/milk, coat them with flour and salt and quick fry them in olive oil. YUMMO when they are crisp and hot.
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I have heard of them but never tried them. My yard is too shady for real vegetable gardening. Sob!
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You can buy them at a lot of farmer’s markets or farm stands! I asked my local farm stand farmer to keep them for me. She thought I was nuts, but she does it!
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i love the idea, now about that name…” ‘Fridge to Table” or “If You Can Crawl, You Can Cook.”, “Cooking For People With Thumbs.” ?
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Oh, man, you’re a genius!!!!!!!
I LOVE all of these!
I’ll link to you when I get it up and running (hopefully really soon!)
I’m leaning toward the thumbs idea!
Thank you!
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So what is being served today? Are they potatoes, Only fair to tell us. ( In your photo, I mean.) As for names:
Whatch’a Got Cookin’, Clearing Out the Fridge. Culinary Assemblage, Empty Nest Cuisine, Plain Cooking, Cooking for Dummies, The Acquired Gourmet, Karen’s Kitchen, The Humble Gourmet, Cooking on a Wing and a Prayer, Culinary Church, News on Chews, Mastication Magic. (Okay, I gotta stop, this is getting way out of hand…)
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Lifelessons beat me to it…I was thinking Dinner for Dummies…also Fun with Food; Chop, Dice, Cook: Menu Magic…lots more to consider but I like alliteration!
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Hahahaha!!!!!
Today I told my husband that I was going with “You, too, can stew”, but now I don’t know! You all are so funny and clever!
The picture (thank you for asking!) is fried squash blossoms. One of those foods that sounds sophisticated but takes ten minutes and tastes like….well….good potato chips!
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I like your title..Go with it.
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Hmm, I wonder who you are thinking of! I love this idea – I’ll love it even more if my kitchen renovation is ever completed. 😫
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Susie!!!!!! I had no idea you were out there reading this drivel!!! Will you be my guest poster? PLEASE?
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Absolutely I’ll follow you!
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How about “Nonni Cooks”? Nonni Cooks [something]
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What is that in the picture?
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At 69, I’m unlikely to start cooking now, although Covid and waaay too much tuna have certainly made me regret never learning. But I’ll definitely LOOK at your cooking blog. Perhaps I’ll even become inspired! Maybe I’ll be the Grandma Moses of cooking.
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But see, that’s the whole point! It’s easy. SERIOUSLY! I’m lazy and I do every day!
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I know, but I barely get out of bed these days!
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Oh, how I wish I could bring you food…..!
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I’m THINKING about cooking this fall and winter. I’m so sick of the prepared foods at the grocery store two blocks away, and I’m not going to be eating outside at restaurants come November.
I wish you could bring me food too. It would be way better than anything I might end up making.
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Now, now, your read my food blog and you’ll be whipping up soups in no time flat!
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