Yes, I CAN Cook!

I may have said this before, but I'm pretty sure my kids grew up thinking I didn't know how to cook. The truth is, I love to cook and baking is a passion. But I can rarely get into the kitchen because my dh loves to cook and he took over the cooking when we got married. He wanted me to concentrate on my studies, on my career path and then our family. Even when he went back to University, he would be home early in the afternoon, and dinner was his commitment. Truly I didn't fight it, as I would rather cut the grass or play with the kids. So it was a great arrangement. Now that I have a very small contract after retiring from palliative care, I've been figuring out ways to get back into the kitchen. I collect recipes ~ grand dinners I want to create, baking to fine tune and scrumptious dishes to explore.

The photos above show my latest attempt to feed my family and have them love my dish, knowing the daddy guy had no hand in it! It's a Garlic Parmesan Cheese Tortellini Chicken and Broccoli. And I can happily report it went over very, very well. Easy to make, so tasty and everyone had more than one helping! I had one tiny helping that was leftover today for lunch. Next time, I'll make a double batch so we can have more the next day.  A great success!!

I'm off to gather more recipes ....

💗 Chy 💗

Off to a Meeting.

We have had quite the revolving door at our organization the last 4 years. I'm not sure exactly why people come & go so quickly but as a Human Services non-profit charity, it's common for staff to move around a lot. I hate it personally. I feel it's not fair to our clients, who become close to us due to the nature of the work we do. They get close, then the staff member leaves. And they have to start a new relationship all over again. I wish staff would commit to being here, sticking it out when it's rough & rising above the challenges. 

Maybe I'm the odd guy out. 

I've been here for 9 years, the longest employee they've ever had. At our recent Strategic Plan Workshop with staff, board members & volunteers, they posed the lingering question to me "why are you still here when everyone else leaves us?" I gave them my thoughts & the rest of the day was thanked by the board members & the volunteers who seemed in awe of my ability to stay. I love my program too much to leave but it gave me a lot to think about. 

Today, our newest staff member has requested a meeting with me. I'm the odd ball of the group, the hippy, the crunchy granola mama. Everyone tries to understand me. Not sure they ever get it. But I'm always a curiosity at the beginning. This is getting old, the meeting to figure me out, but hey, I'll play along. She seems lovely. I'm not investing a big amount into any relationship just yet.

Maybe this new staff member will be the one to stick around! Fingers crossed!

Do you make commitments & ride out the rough times or do you bolt at the first sign of a less than perfect scenario?