Happy 4th of July

In my first year of married life, my husband and I are learning to celebrate holidays as a family (husband and wife) instead of as a couple. Yes, there is a difference (well, at least to me.) I mean, before, we spent some holidays with his family, following their traditions, and other holidays with my family, following those traditions. Now, we still spend time with our families, but we are starting to think of the future and what we want OUR traditions to be. The Fourth of July is a perfect example. For me, when I think of the 4th, I think of grilling out in the backyard, maybe going swimming, playing croquet or horseshoes in the backyard, and watching fireworks. Dan had to work this holiday, so we didn't get to complete our holiday, but we did grill out together. Even though we aren't master chefs, we always have so much fun cooking together. Dan grilled a chicken, corn on the cob, and garlic bread on the grill outside, while I made rosemary red potato salad and raspberry sorbet with whipped cream for desert. I really love cooking from scratch. I like knowing exactly what is going into my food and I like adjusting the recipes to suit my own tastes. For example, the rosemary red potato salad came from a recipe for fennel and basil salad that I adapted. When I started cooking, I looked at it as a chore. Something that had to be done for survival. Now, I LOVE spending time in my kitchen. I feel like I can escape into my recipes. What I don't like is pressure from a time limit. I want to cook at my own pace and eat when things are ready. My main goal in learning how to cook is so I can be comfortable cooking for my future family (ie. kids). I don't want to raise them on junk food and drive-thru chains. I must confess, cooking is much less work and much more enjoyable than I ever thought possible. Now, when I see a recipe, I get excited thinking about the possibilities, not nervous thinking about all the ways I could mess it up. And worst-case scenario, it tastes terrible, we throw it away, and we go out to dinner. So, on this 4th of July, this American Independence Day, I am declaring my independence from pre-packaged, highly-processed, chemical-laden, mystery food. Let's hear it for delicious, made from scratch meals!!!! Happy 4th of July.