Branded a Parent

I don't have anything particularly exciting to share today. Yes, every day with Braden is exciting, but sometimes the spirit of creativity just doesn't stir within. After all, how many times can I attempt to explain that Braden is a wild man by describing the way he uses his leapfrog train as a battering ram or by the way he says "I kick cars" and then goes around the house delivering Bruce Lee style punishment to his toys.

I guess I could do it every day, but I won't. Today instead I thought I would share something that I think absolutely, without question, brands us as parents. Being branded means there is no going back. There is no flip flopping from parent back to our prior life. Even when Braden is not around we are still 100% parents. That brand does not wash off. No amount of "Sons of Anarchy" watched while eating a meal that didn't come out of a box will change that.

Food is actually the driving theme for this post, so let's get to it. Let's start with Pampered Chef. Anyone heard of that?

Basically it's a fairly expensive brand of kitchen stuff  that is sold via parties. For a while before Braden was born Arica was invited to dozens of these parties. She even threw one once at our house to help out a friend. It may have been my cousin's wife now that I think of it. I don't know. When I hear the term party preceded by any word other than keg I instinctively get in my truck and drive away towards more manly pursuits.

Well through all these parties Arica acquired some things. One of which was a set of three very nice cake pans. They were a lot better than the Wal Mart type pans we usually used. Arica used them to make some awesome cakes. I liked to use them for corn bread because of the way the browned the bread. Anyway they are fine culinary instruments.

We still have those three pans, and we use them now more than ever. They are in a state of constant motion between cooking and washing. They never get a break.

Why?

Because Braden eats a lot of chicken nuggets and fish sticks. Having kids not only transforms you, but it transforms your cookware as well.

Toddler and Monkey Stew

When Arica and I first met I enjoyed cooking a little bit, but I had no real idea what I was doing. I certainly had no formal training or even informal training for that matter.  While we were dating she somehow, against my will, got me to watch Emeril on the Food Network.

After that a strange thing happened. I became addicted. I wanted to watch Emeril all the time. I wanted to watch other cooking shows as well.  It seemed that my love of TV and my love of eating had come together to form a perfect marriage.  I learned to cook a little bit. Some of the rules and techniques began to stick in my head. I had never liked using recipes so these rules and techniques helped my repertoire in the kitchen grow exponentially.

At home I share the cooking duties with my very capable wife. Outside of the home I have been slower to showcase my skills. After a few trial runs I have slowly become the dressing maker at Christmas and Thanksgiving with Arica's family. I have also been allowed to bring some other things to the table occasionally.

With all of this I still haven't launched my cooking know how and skills onto the Internet even though it seems to be the perfect place to share. Cooking websites and blogs are everywhere.  My friend PJ Mullen often shares cooking tips, recipes, and even video on his regular blog. He has a separate cooking blog as well.

Today he has inspired me to post this, my first cooking video.

In case you prefer a written recipe I offer the following steps.

1. Put kid in pot.
2. Remove the kid and add monkey. Place kid on top of monkey.
3. Remove kid and monkey and hope they don't run away.