Chef Daddy
“I think it bespeaks a generous nature, a man who can cook.” -Jilly CooperI am a lucky woman. Not only because I have two kids who are usually awesome but I happen to have found a husband who enjoys cooking.Now, this is not without its drawbacks. We’ll get them out of the way first:1) He likes mushrooms & onions. I do not. But honestly, I’m getting better. Sometimes.2) His meats of choice tend to move more toward pork & fish these days. I’m more of a chicken & beef.3) He is under the false assumption that the more pans you use, the better the dish. Wait- how many saucepans DO we own!? He’s getting much better at this one. Credit where credit is due.4) He tends to come up with his most flavorful (read messy) creations directly after I’ve spent a good long time scrubbing the kitchen… hmph
Yet, I’d rather have him Tasmanian-devil-trod the kitchen then have to cook myself. I have several dishes that I can make no problem. Are they healthy? Umm no. Do I enjoy it? Nope, sure don’t. Would I rather bake? Umm YES! For those subscribing to the idea that baking and cooking are the same… I say, No Sir! I’d take an airbrush and a layer cake over making a roast any day. Lucky for me, Hubs enjoys cooking and finding healthy alternatives. In fact, he enjoys cooking so much that he even started his own website and YouTube channel called Kerns Cooking Go ahead and click the link- I’ll wait. No really, he posted a video yesterday, it's my favorite and only about 3 or so mins long! He’s even started to set up his own test/filming kitchen in the basement. His setup is wicked professional and he built it all himself. 
Oh, the KernsCooking Instagram & Facebook page are full of photos of the awesome things he’s made. My recent favorite is a spin-off of a low-country-shrimp-boil. The kind I’ve heard him talk so much about from his days down south at Auburn. I liked it so much I requested it as my birthday dinner, and if you know me you know I rarely veer from the usual-birthday-fare. Who am I kidding, I rarely veer from foods at restaurants I’ve been to before. I’m a one-meal-wonder kind of girl. Find it, try it, like it, eat it forever. I’m not really one for trying-new-foods which is probably why I don’t really enjoy cooking. There are only so many ways I can make chicken…This brings me to something I’ve noticed recently. Bubba has started classifying things as “Mommy’s” or “Daddy’s.” Things like Daddy’s lawnmower and Mommy’s vacuum or Mommy’s red car and Daddy’s black car, Mommy’s Coffee and Daddy’s Cup or my favorite being Mommy’s bed and Mommy’s push-a-button-warm (washer/dryer). He calls it that because it makes his tag blanket warm and he gets to push the buttons to start it, clever kid- right? This is where I think kids get the ideas that many people are fighting so hard against these days. If a child never sees their Daddy do the laundry, then by their logic, of course, it belongs to Mommy. If Mommy never mows the lawn then clearly it’s a Daddy job. How interesting. So maybe it isn’t that people are purposefully purporting the ideas that men and women have different responsibilities but it's just a habit or circumstance. Funny tidbit: we have a play kitchen in the corner of our real kitchen which Bubba frequents to “cook us somefin” during the day. Usually, it's his specialty, play-corn. Hopefully, Bubba will pick up Daddy’s creative kitchen skills and a little of Mommy’s cleaning. What a nice mix that would be.
I’m lucky I have a husband who cooks, as such, it’s usually my responsibility to clear the table. It’s only fair. Hopefully, our kiddos seeing their Daddy in the kitchen as well as at the grill will help them to understand that cooking isn’t just woman’s work. Men can be darn good cooks too. Now, if I could only entice him to run the vacuum…Be Great,M