Chopped

I love to cook.
I hate to shop.
No, I really hate to shop--which makes cooking a bit difficult.
Part of the reason I hate to shop is I am so cheap.  I know that Wal-mart has the best prices on paper products and personal care stuff.  Sams is great for getting all of the pantry items I can buy in bulk.  And then there are the sales.  I watch the sale fliers and rotate between Kroger, HEB, and Randalls for things like meat and vegetables.  
So shopping usually involves several stores.  I hate Wal-mart on the weekend--it is like ALL of the weirdest people on the planet go to Wal-mart on the weekend.  And there are a lot of weird people on this planet.  Add the Texas heat--you cant leave items in the car as you go from store to store or it will all melt.  Running home is not practical.  So I procrastinate my shopping!

I love watching the Food Network.  First because it is one of the few channels I can leave it on and feel pretty safe that my kids wont see a mostly naked person or learn colorful new words if the show changes.  Add I have to admit, I am a foodie.  I love blending flavors and textures and experimenting and I glean a plethora of ideas by watching Cooking shows.
Which leads me to chopped. The premise of the show (if you haven't watched, you should!) is 4 cooks compete through 3 timed rounds where they have to create a meal out of items in a mystery basket.  I feel like every episode of Chopped is me opening the door to my pantry and figuring out what to do with chicken, pretzel crackers, sriracha sauce, and  sour cream. Or some other bizarre combination of ingredients.  The criteria for judging is presentation, taste, and using the mystery basket ingredients.  Presentation is my Achilles heel.  I can get taste in there and get pretty creative but it doesn't always look very pretty.
But I learn lots of great words to impress my family.  They have eaten haricot vere (green beans), kale chips, and I have learned that chocolate and coffee make a great crust for wild game.
And not every attempt is successful.  I am pretty sure Veronika votes to chop me every time I use a mushroom.  And I am thankful that my husband is patient with my combinations, he has rarely complained about my cooking (although the fact that he calls my favorite chicken dish "Slimy Chicken" shows he doesn't always embrace mycreativity!)
And one of the great things about having driving teens in the house is I can send them to the store with a list--just need to remember to get my debit card back each time!

I confess, I love the challenge of chopped.  I may not like shopping, I can't garden to save my life, crafting skills elude me, but I can usually make a decent meal from some really odd ingredients.  Which proves each of us has at least one talent!