Lemon Cranberry Scones

Guess who did some baking with me this last Friday? 


Grace helped me make the most delicious Lemon Cranberry Scones for a church event I helped host on Saturday morning. I could eat one every morning if heavy whipping cream weren't a major ingredient! 


Have you guys ever heard of Deb over at Smitten Kitchen? She is one of many who are slowly teaching me how to cook. 


I can remember making lots of brownies from a box as a kid and then sitting down to share the whole pan with a friend. Healthy huh?! I don't remember learning to make real food though. Fast forward to my early twenties and yep, still not a lot of cooking going on. I worked at an Italian restaurant that very generously let me take food home whenever I worked. And I worked there a lot, for many years. I'm sure my arteries will thank me for all the pasta and pizza I inhaled during that time. Then I got married and realized my husband was better at tossing ingredients together and making something edible. I am more of a recipe follower and only recently have begun to try cooking more intuitively. 


One of my goals this year has been to try one new recipe a week in order to build my skills and my short list of things I know how to make. Okay, so I haven't met my weekly goal each time, but it's been a good challenge, and we are trying more new things. I'm also working on getting better at meal planning. I go in spurts, doing really well for a while and things flow more smoothly, and then I fall off the wagon and it's a lot of "I have no idea what we're eating and dinner is in 30 minutes". And the cooking is not all on me. Beej is super helpful and willing to make whatever. But we both agree it's much easier when you know ahead of time and have the ingredients on hand. 


The thing is, I love to eat good food. I like preparing it. I also recognize the busy season we're in right now and want to continue to incorporate better eating habits little by little--that's the least overwhelming way for me to grow in this area at this point. And I really want my kids to grow up having fun in the kitchen, learning how to cook and feed themselves real foods. That is a huge motivator for me to keep learning myself. 


What about you? Who cooks in your family? Did you grow up cooking and planning meals?