[On cooking and chili. *and a blog makeover!*]

Since we knew we were going to be cooped up all weekend braving Irene, I wanted to make something that could last us a few days. I've never touched a crockpot, and I didn't grow up eating crockpot food, but Chad owns one that has literally never been used so I thought we'd try it out this weekend. I've always kind of had a bias against crockpot cooking...I guess I sort of think it's a little lazy and low, kind of along the lines of casseroles (blech)...but it produced a delicious main dish for us, so maybe I'll try to incorporate it into my tiny {but growing!} cooking repertoire.

I know these posts are kind of goofy, lame, boring, whatever...I obviously don't know what I'm doing, so when I manage to turn something unedible into something delicious, my proud little self turns into braggy mcbraggerson, and I like to share my triumphs with pretty pictures. Whether this cooking kick I'm on extends into a hobby or maybe even an actual talent, or fizzles into something I do only when necessary to keep myself (and significant others) alive, I'm really enjoying my weekly learning process. Beyond the tangible benefits (and accompanying weight gain, gross), I'm learning how cooking can really enrich my life and my interactions with others. I'm sort of a hermit, so spending so much time in Chad's or my kitchen forces me to get out of my bubble and interact with all the people who seem to pass through our homes, including my roommates with whom I spend, like, zero time. It's also provided opportunities for Chad and I to serve others in new ways, like this past weekend. My boss was struck by a car last week as he crossed the street and is now at home recovering for the foreseeable future, unable to move without intense pain and effort. My huge batch of chili was may more than Chad and I needed for the weekend, so we were able to take some over to my boss' house along with a pan of cornbread so that he could have some homemade comfort food during the weekend storm. I started cooking for a variety of reasons, and one of them was because I thought it would be kind of fun and nice to cook for Chad. It was recently pointed out to me that, though he appreciates the things I do (or attempt to do) for him, they aren't really that selfless, because in my mind we've kind of morphed into a unit. So I'm glad for the opportunity that cooking is affording me to reach out to individuals beyond my immediate sphere, and I hope that I can continue to help others when these occasions present themselves.

And, um...the end.

**Unrelated...I changed up the look of the blog, and my eyes are killing me from all the HTML tweaking I did for hours yesterday. What do you think?**