I’ve been blessed in my life with wonderful friends. Their love, support, and encouragement keep me from going too far off track in my life’s journey. Lately, my friend Debbie has urged me to try something new on this blog. I liked the idea. A lot! The problem was, I wasn’t sure I had the “ingredients” I needed to mix it up a bit. It’s taken preparation and used more brain power than I had anticipated to whip it into shape, but here I am, ready to add something new to my menu. Debbie, this is for you:
It wasn’t long after retiring that I began to realize that the exciting new opportunity I’d envisioned being laid on my doorstep wasn’t going to be delivered. To be honest, I was crushed. I questioned myself and my decision to retire. Afraid that I had not prayed hard enough or listened carefully enough I became discouraged and began to wallow in my failure and disappointment. And oh, how I love to wallow there! We’ll save that for another post, it was a recipe for disaster though and I’d probably be stuck there still if not for my afore mentioned friends. Their kindness, wisdom, inspiration, and understanding stirred a feeling of peace within my soul. I was able to relax a little, enjoy my free time a little more, begin to take little steps toward new goals, and to cook up a little challenge for myself.
I love to cook! Watching food shows on T.V., reading recipes in magazines, and finding delicious sounding dishes on Pinterest feed my desire to be in the kitchen. Nothing makes me much happier than preparing something special and sharing it with others! Like most cooks, I have my tried and true, no fail, family favorites I make again and again. Thus the well worn recipe book you see in the picture above that was a bridal shower gift from my mom 32 years ago.
Not too long ago, knowing we had a dinner with friends coming up I decided to step outside the “recipe box” and try something new. Now, taking an untested dish to someone else’s table is probably not the brightest idea but I did it just the same. I waited anxiously as everyone tasted my new creation. It turned out to be well received and pretty tasty if I do say so myself! That was the beginning of my Recipe Challenge. With echoes of compliments filling my head and recipes I’ve collected for years filling everything else, I decided to challenge myself to try at least one new dish every week and that’s just what I’ve been doing!
Over the past months my family and friends have graciously been my guinea pigs and for the most part the job hasn’t been too hard to swallow….literally! So now, with the help of a little heat from a certain friend, I’ve decided to share the recipes with you. It may take me a while to get them posted but my hope is that when mealtime is approaching and you don’t know what to fix or you just want to try something new, you’ll click on the “Recipe Challenge” tab at the top of the page and take a helping from my kitchen into yours. Finding the right recipe can sometimes be tricky but you can be sure that whether it’s for a friendship or a casserole, if it’s made with love you’ve found the recipe for success!
***Click above to see my first recipe post!