I can cook... Italian Pork Chops?

From the time thatwe are young we are taught that assuming the role of a wife comes with certainsocietal expectations. Just like my nearly 2-year-old niece Olivia,little girls are given baby dolls, play kitchens and pretend vacuum cleanersbefore they can take a step or say their first word. I had no concernsabout whether or not I would be a great mom, and even though it is aless-than-desired task I knew I could keep a house (though you would not alwaysguess that by the looks of our house at times). My biggest concern? Cookingfor my husband, and future children. If you know my Dad Ron, aka"Chef Ronald", this may be surprising news to you. Sure, Icould make a good 'ol grilled cheese with tomato soup or spaghetti withmeatballs... but the thought of cooking a homemade dinner multiple times a weekwas overwhelming to me.

Myeducation, coupled with this past year of marriage, has brought me to somerealizations. First, I realize, screw the societal pressure on women. As a woman who worksfull time, who is taking Graduate level courses full time and has as much (ifnot more) on my plate as any man, screw the idea of having a meal on the tablethe moment my husband walks into the door. The days that women stay athome while their husbands work all day are long gone, so why did I feel thispressure in the first place? Author Julia Wood of Gendered Lives states,"We make choices to accept cultural prescriptions or to modify or rejectthem (Wood, 25)." So, since we both have similar responsibilities(work and school), Kenny and I opted to share the tasks at home (and I am veryglad for that because he is quite good at cooking). Second, this past yearof marriage made me realize that while I am no "Chef Ronald", withexperimentation and baby steps I CAN make delicious meals in the kitchen.

If youfeel overwhelmed by cooking like I did (and still do at times), let me tell youabout your #1 best friend in the kitchen: a crock pot! You can make somany great meals in the crock-pot; and not just meals, but also sides and evendesserts. And because many recipes take about 8 hours on low (only 4-ishon high), you can let it cook while you are working or running errands for theday. Since this past year of marriage has been great, but definitely notthe best for my figure, through this blog I will share some of the delicious recipes that I trythat are also HEALTHY. Here is a delicious recipe that I made tonight...

CrockPot Italian Pork Chops

4boneless pork chops

1drained 4 oz. can of mushrooms

1medium chopped onion

2cloves minced garlic

2cans of tomato sauce (8 oz.)

1 candiced tomatoes

1 tsp.of lemon juice

1 1/2tsp. Italian Seasoning Mix

Placeall ingredients into the slow cooker.

Coverand cook for 4 hours on high, or 8 hours on low.

This photo is not the best because it was taken with my cell phone, but you get the idea. I amusually very hesitant (due to ignorance) to cook with anything but chicken orground beef, so I was a little nervous about this one. It turned outREALLY good though. I served it with whole-wheat fettuccini noodles;spooned out some of the extra sauce onto the pasta, and it was great! Kenny cleaned his plate! Prep time was less than 5 minutes and nowthe husband has leftovers for lunch tomorrow! This is a good amount for2-3 people, so if you are cooking for more just simply double the recipe. If you ever have any easy and healthy recipes to share with me, I wouldlove to try them. Let me know if you try to make these delicious Italian-stylepork chops!