How Do You Say… Cook?

This week is a little bit crazy. In fact, the past few weeks have been a little bit crazy. What I’m trying to say is, my life has gone from having days where I didn’t know what to do, to having very little free time (in which I can’t decide what to do because there are so many things left to do).

I know what you’re thinking. “Welcome to my life.” And yes, you’re absolutely right. I guess I’m just not used to having a packed schedule, and I’m doing my best to adapt. I’m happy, exciting new things are happening every day, and I truly have nothing to complain about.

Well, my kitchen could use some love. I hear my utensils cry a sad little moan every once in a while, and the oven has been a little empty. As has a little space in my heart. Eating out is fun, and it’s crazy convenient, but it definitely gets old. I mean we haven’t been eating out for every meal, but I don’t think anyone’s real excited about fish sticks and corn tonight either.

So I cook. I write things in my planner daily and I have to get out of bed earlier if I want to start my days off right. Big deal. Let’s do this. Bring it on. (I could keep going but I think you get the picture).

This Thursday is our anniversary (4 years! I feel ‘legit’ now)… and we also have some friends in from out of town, and we also get to see good friends who are expecting and…the list goes on. So I have (realistically) only about 3 meals to plan. But dammit, those 3 meals are going to be spectacular.

I’ve recently found myself scrolling through pages and pages of the adorable, witty, and drool-worthy blog, How Sweet It Is, and it served as my inspiration for meals this week. I’ve only gone a few pages deep but I think I’ve already found the recipes I want to make this week. This week will be different than my “Cooking with Alli” posts in the past. I’ll just go ahead and post the recipes and the grocery list, and I’ll post my “review” and pictures as I make them. I figure you’ll either cook with me or you won’t, but maybe, just maybe there’s some of you out there who are like me and don’t have your week’s meals planned, so you’ll see my post and make a pit stop at the store and cook with me. These meals after all, might just change your plans.

Hot Blueberry Cheddar Dip with Toasted Bread (shut up, this looks so good!)

Southwest Chicken Salad Slider Melts (makes a lot, but who doesn’t like leftovers?)

Bacon, Egg, and Asparagus Personal Pizzas (Love me an egg on pizza. And bacon? I’M IN.)

Here’s the grocery list: Just click here to print!

I can’t wait to cook this week. I’m excited to make time. I don’t know just what nights it will be yet, but these meals are going to be delicious. If you have time to cook with me, print out the grocery list, whip it up, and send me your pics and I will post them! If not, drool over these recipes, enjoy How Sweet It Is, and have a great (busy) week.

Dear ocean, I’m sorry I only come down to be with you a couple times a week even though I only live 2 blocks away. You make everything better and I promise I’ll come around more often. <3 (Taken with Instagram) High-res

Dear ocean, I’m sorry I only come down to be with you a couple times a week even though I only live 2 blocks away. You make everything better and I promise I’ll come around more often. <3 (Taken with Instagram)

Forget Yourself.

Something I wouldn’t have thought of telling you all about is the fact that I’ve been reading “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. Not that it isn’t a hugely popular book that has been a well known motivational book for a long time, but it just didn’t seem like something I’d like to put out there. Hey everyone, I’m reading a book about how to learn how to talk to people! It’s admitting to a fault. And sort of an embarrassing one at that.

But then again I realize I’ve shared a lot of myself here on my blog, and why not? Every once in a while I will hear someone say that they could never open up like others or that they could never imagine sharing so much of themselves with someone else, and it bothers me. I wonder why we put up walls. We think it’s to protect ourselves, but from what? What is the point of living, if not to connect, to realize that we are all in this together, and to open ourselves up to feeling every emotion possible, even if that means hurt?

So I’d like to share with you a little insight from this book. If you know nothing about it, it is literally one of the best motivational books ever written, and it is full of ways to connect to people and how to better understand how they think. It’s useful for everything from business to personal reasons, and is full of interesting historical references. Did I mention I’m not even half way through the book? I wouldn’t say that every “lesson” I learn is a complete shock, but somehow the way it’s written just makes everything clear. It all makes total sense.

One of the most recent things I’ve read that has really hit me hard is to show interest in other people. Like I said, obviously I’ve always known it’s common courtesy to ask someone about themselves, but lately the more I go to social functions or pay attention to the way people interact…the more I learn people really love to talk about themselves. If you switch your focus from getting people interested in you, to showing interest in others, you will see the conversation change. It’s funny because when I first thought about this, I thought, “So then what? We spend the entire conversation talking about them? How do I know if they are interested in me if they know nothing about me?” The thing is, if you show people that you are genuinely interested in them, they will warm up and respond to that in a way that opens them to wanting to learn about you. It just happens. It’s magic.

I’ve been applying this thought process to a lot of things in my life lately. It really changes things to take yourself out of the equation. The world is so full of life and color and beauty and intelligence. Whether it’s people or an interest in the environment, or just staying interested in the way things work (or why the hell we’re here), just stay interested. And when someone does ask you about you, you’ll have all kinds of stories to share.