Hi there and welcome to the blog home of ME! - Author Taryn Raye.
I'm just a lil' ol' scribbling butterfly, who's ready to burst from my cocoon & spread my wings. So glad you've stopped by to join in my journey in this writerly world.

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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Tuesdays with Taryn- Losing my Kitchen to the Man of the House

I'm writing this on Monday, as I listen to the thunder and rain and hope that the power doesn't go out before I need to fix supper. As of tonight though (actual Tuesday) the kids will be off school for their break for two weeks. Stepson will be going to his mom's until Christmas Eve and then after that, who knows.

As a family we have a very busy week coming up. Hubby has to work nearly every day, but this coming Saturday he will be off and intends to spend his time baking Chess Cake and Lemon Drop cookies. I figure Girly-Girl and I will tackle the peppermint bark, peanut butter fudge, chocolate cookies, dipped pretzels, and spritz cookies sometime later this week, as we head into the weekend. Too many chefs spoil the soup, or well, get under each others feet and, frankly, on my last nerve. This will be round 2 of the treat making for family and friends. I did the majority of it for my family and friends before Thanksgiving, but now we're doing the 2nd batch for hubby's family's side.

Besides all that, I have a few other things I need to work on- hubby wants sausage balls (Bisquick, sausage and shredded cheese), I'm going to attempt my very first pumpkin log/roll and I've had a hankering for a chess pie. Hubby's cake tastes very similar, but it's just not chess pie, which I haven't had in years.

We need to lay out the turkey in the fridge to thaw on Thursday, the ham on Saturday. We have Christmas breakfast with hubby's dad's side and though I was going to try making homemade cinnamon rolls with bread loaves, I couldn't find any in the frozens, so I'm just going to make a pan of cinnamon pull-aparts, aka- Monkey Bread. Then I'm going to have to convince hubby to fix the turkey on Christmas Eve afternoon because I don't think he realizes how much room it will take up in the oven when we have all kinds of other dishes to fix on Christmas Day that need to put in the oven. There is also the little detail that, no matter how well prepared, I'm not a fan of hot turkey. It doesn't cut well and to me, it seems "spongy."

That brings me to the title of my post. I think I'm losing my kitchen to the man of the house. Ever since hubby's attempt at baking a whole turkey turned out really good, he believes we MUST have turkey AND ham for Christmas, that he needs to be in the kitchen like a head chef and I find myself feeling like I've been reduced to a sous chef. I think hubby forgets that the cooking used to be MY thing on Christmas Day and I fear he's on the fast track to kicking me out of my own kitchen.

Of course, I do the cooking nearly 95% of the time during the rest of the year and I don't mind taking a load off, but I'm still expected to make homemade mashed potatoes and his favorite- mac & cheese (can I honestly admit that mac & cheese is one of my LEAST favorite foods? I like it okay, but I can live without it, especially when I have to make it.). Hubby's Mom is bringing green beans and punchbowl cake and my mom is bringing a plethora of things that are "necessaries" with a turkey dinner- cranberry gel, stuffing to go with the turkey (I'm planning to make gravy from the drippings and we'll have yeast rolls); baked beans and potato salad- for those of us who'd like something a little different with ham and fruit salad, per my dad. Oh, and hubby is insistent that he must make deviled eggs, like my grandma showed him how to make last year (when I was sick and they booted me out of my kitchen- see the pattern?)

The table will be laden with plenty of food and our home will be filled with lots of love and laughter, I'm sure. I guess, if I lose my kitchen for a short time, it's all good. Maybe I won't be the one who's so exhausted at the end of the day. ::wink::