Little Pleasures

There are a lot of things that I enjoy about living in Saint Louis. I love the space that we have in our house, being able to come home before 6:00 on most days, our new church...

But you know what I have been surprised to find that I enjoy more than most anything else? Cooking.

When I was young, I frequently helped out around the kitchen, chipping in when my mom was making dinner or occasionally making snacks, cookies, or pies. But even when I moved out on my own and had the time and facilities to cook, I never dedicated much time or effort to it. Sure, I showed off every now and again by cooking for some girl I was trying to impress, but I took very little pleasure in it.

That has all changed since Jenifer and I moved to Saint Louis. Most every week I go to the grocery store, and I really enjoy choosing items that I know I'll be able to incorporate into something tasty. I've spent a bunch of time perusing our cookbooks to hunt up recipes that look especially enjoyable. And I have come to find it so relaxing to spend a half-hour or so most evenings to prepare meals for us.

I've found a handful of quick, fairly simple recipes that have had really great results. For example, last night I fixed pan fried pork chops with a peach-dijon mustard sauce, served with a side dish of green beans, chopped onions, and tomatoes. Man, was it good! The way the peach and mustard flavors blended was really unexpected, and Jen and I agreed that if we didn't know what had gone into it, we might not have even been able to guess that peaches were the sweet element of it.

So this post doesn't have a whole heck of a lot of substance, but I hope y'all will appreciate just this little window into our life in the STL.