I Rock the Kitchen

Last night I made chocolate chip cookies. Let me preface the rest of the story by informing you that I've never been one who's exhibited exceptional prowess in the kitchen. My home ec teacher in seventh grade used to laugh at most of my attempts at cooking, cleaning . . . and sewing, and well, just about everything else. So I considered it no small triumph when I managed to make three dozen cookies last night without burning a single one! Add that to the fact that I probably haven't baked cookies since high school, and remember that I'm dealing with Irish ingredients (the flour, baking soda, brown sugar here are slightly different from American varieties), and I'd consider this an outright miraculous success!

Another testament to how I've learned and improved upon my culinary abilities: my first batches were slightly too fragile and crumbly, but instead of freaking out and pouting like I would have in the past, I simply adjusted and added more flour - the rest of my cookies were the perfect consistency!

It's strange for me to talk about since I've always been so focused on various career and educational pursuits, but my time in Ireland has, if nothing else, helped me to improve my domestic capabilities by leaps and bounds. I, who used to abhor cleaning and cooking, still abhor cleaning and cooking - but I'm much better at it now, so I guess I don't hate it as much. Furthermore, I actually do it! My recipe repertoire now extends well beyond simple baked chicken and crock pot dishes, and I do far more cleaning than I used to. I even baked my first pie over here - and brought it to a pot luck for my expat club! The women in my expat club know their way around the kitchen, so I was downright gleeful when I received compliments on my pie.

Anyway, just thought I'd take a brief moment to celebrate. Who knows how much of this will stick when I get back into fulltime work?