HUGE NEWS...
First, let me just start by saying, I have never written a blog before. I'm not really sure if anyone will ever be interested in reading my blog, but I have decided to create one if, for no other reason, than to do something for myself and to remain accountable to my challenge. At the end of this challenge, I will have something to look back on and see what I have accomplished in a year. I came from more of the "journal generation"...I always had some sort of journal tucked under my bed filled with my thoughts, etc. No one ever read it except me (and my sneaky mother, I'm convinced, lol). But, here I am putting my thoughts out there in cyberspace for all the world (or no one...haha) to read.
Let me tell you what happened today...
So, I was on the Rachael Ray Show website. No, not the Food Network one, the Emmy-award winning daytime talk show on ABC. I was looking up tonight's recipe for my challenge and I found one that looked uber-yummy! However, the recipe said to, "cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees." Problem...you cannot tell a sub-amateur cook to cook chicken to an internal temperature! That is waaaaay too non-specific! How in the world am I going to know if the internal temperature is right unless I constantly poke my chicken with a meat thermometer? What temperature do I set the oven to, how long should I cook it, etc??? Aaaah! So, I decided to write to the show to ask for recipe clarification.
I was on the RR Show website looking for a place to write in my question, but I couldn't find a "submit your question" section. So, I opted for looking under the show topics section; specifically the "Food" section. There were lots of topics you could write in about. I chose one entitled, "I cannot live without Rachael Ray's recipes"...or something like that. When you write to the show, you have to provide your name, address, phone number, etc. There's a section where you can free type to let the show know about you. So, I wrote about my 365 day challenge and elaborated on how I am such an awful cook and really want to learn to cook better. Well, guess what happened...the segment coordinator, Liliana, called me!!! I swear it must've been like 20 minutes after I hit "send" my phone rang! I can't even get doctors to return pages at work that fast for critically ill patients!!!
Liliana was so sweet! I spoke to her about my challenge and she asked me to send her some pictures of me and my fiance, Prav. So, of course, I hurried over to my laptop and emailed her immediately. Now, I guess I just have to wait and see if the producers would like to put me on the show. Wow...I never expected this! I never intended to even contact the show.
Actually, this is might just be the perfect motivation and accountability I need to make it through all 365 days! Even if I never end up being on the show or ever hearing back from them again, at least I know that I am doing something good for myself...something creative, ambitious, and innovative. I feel good about challenging myself. I've just reached my goal of becoming a nurse. A dream I had been striving to achieve since 2004. 5 long years and now I'm here! My work schedule has left me with enough time to try new things, take on new challenges and adventures, and learn something new. My job is so stressful and this is just the distraction I need to make my home life better for Prav and me. The dinner table is such an important place. Prav and I both grew up enjoying amazing family dinners. Prav's mom is a vegetarian Hindu. Every night, she would cook a vegetarian meal for herself, a diabetic-friendly meal for her husband, and yet another meal for her picky, meat-eating children. And, she would cook the meat dishes to perfection without so much as a taste for herself! I have no idea how she did it! She makes the most delicious meat meals without ever knowing how it tastes! Amazing. My mom is a fabulous cook too. Even though she was a single parent, working 50+ hours a week, she always managed to put a fantastic meal on the table every night. The dinner table was a lace of peace for us. We would talk about our day, our fears, our troubles, our joys. Mom was like therapy at the dinner table...lol. When my mom, my brother and I would eat dinner together, we were in our own world. Life was good and we knew we had each other when it got hard. Dinner was joyful and often the best part of my day, especially when times were tough. I want that for my marriage, for my future family, for Prav and me. I'm hoping that, wherever this journey ends up, that it leads me back to the dinner table of my childhood. Back to the place where the food was as good as the company. To a place of peace and tranquility after a hard day's work.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment