Wasteful Picky Eater :-)

I wouldn't call myself a picky eater, per se, but I have a preference for certain foods over others. My theory is that because my mom, grandmothers, and all my aunts are/were great cooks, I was exposed only to the best dishes (mostly Mexican) growing up. Thus, I now only prefer to eat good food. Growing up, I wasn't exposed to an eclectic variety of food mostly because Asian and cultural foods weren't readily available in Laredo. When we moved to Houston, my parents were so use to our repertoire that we didn't really stray from our usual suspects: mole, tacos, roast, baked chicken, etc.

Now that I suffer from severe food allergies, venturing out to try new foods isn't really an option (doctor's orders.) So, I'm trying to be more adventurous with my cooking at home. My mother-in-law (shout out Mary) was over here this weekend, and she asked me, "What are you going to do with that pumpkin?" My immediate response was, "We're gonna carve it, duh." Mary said, "Oh, Henry would make me do something with it, make empanadas or something." That made me realize again, another way that I can stop being so wasteful. If there's one thing my father-in-law, Henry, isn't, it's wasteful. We can all take a thing or two from a page in Henry's book of life, and one of those things is STOP BEING WASTEFUL!

I was such a food snob growing up that I refused to eat leftovers. Now, I embrace leftovers, provided they reheat well. *Any Mexican knows that Mexican rice does not reheat well.* I don't consider myself a culinary artist, but I can cook up some pretty awesome Mexican dishes, thanks to my Tia Nina's cookbook and self expirimentation. I can't tell you how much money we've saved by eating home cooked meals 70% of the time.

In the spirit of Pumpkin season, check out Alex at the Pumpkin Patch in Medina, TX.