How many shadetree chefs we got?

[66KingFisher]

Bassboss's recent thread on "best leftovers" got me to wonderin how many of you big ol burly boys out there know yer way around a kitchen....and I ain't jest talkin about eatin....i'm talkin bout cookin.

When I was just knee high to a duck, my momma started havin me help out in the kitchen with preparing the meals....I guess that always stuck with me cause i've always enjoyed cooking....not just the typical man thang of burnin a chunk of dead cow over some chared wood on the weekend....but more the chef thing....all around cook....I have gone so far as to officially fire my wife as the dinner chef and I now prepare 95% of our evening meals...we eat out the other 4% which just leaves 1% for her.....Working from home does give me a bit more time around the house then the average guy, but even when I worked 40 hours a week for the man i'd still rather cook then let her....lol...I know that sounded terrible, but the truth was my wifes cooking was too "plane jane" and I could always blow her away in the kitchen....she's the kind of person that was happy with hamburger helper....(follow the directions exactly)....open a can of corn and theres dinner.........I can't do that and must modify all meals with extra spices and ingredience(sp?)along with better side dishes....so we worked it out so that I cook all the evening meals and she cleans up....she loads and I unload.....Its worked out great believe it or not, and she must love my food cause she's gained.....Weeeeeeell, we won't go there.....lol.....i'm joking honey, i'm joking.

I'm a lover of spicey foods and always have been....Mexican and Tex-Mex style foods make up 50% of the meals I prepare.....I make some mean chicken fajitas....a version of Chicken mexicana and an Carne-ala ranchero dish that are to die for.....My family also raves about my chili as long as I don't make it too hot for them.....I love side dishes like Jalapeno peppers stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with bacon and grilled.....Mmmmmmmm.....Baked potato skins with all the fixin's....Baked beans with ham, bacon and jalapeno's and onions....etc,etc.

Beyond that I love stuff like Italian foods but i'm new at them and have a hard time obtaining some ingrediants here in the boonies of Arkansas....lol....I do have my own recipe for a wicked Chicken fettichini alfredo.....and a Spagetti with meat sauce that gets doctor'd up with extras.....and a recipe for Lasagna spiked with pepperoni's that I got from the Food networks website.....lol.

I also like cajun food, but I haven't been able to reproduce the tastes I get when i've been to cajun restaraunts in Louisiana....hopefully one of these days I'll get some good recipes to that I can get to come out right.....lol

I've got a wok, and do a bit of Chinese stirfry now and then.....some items have turned out killer while others were just so-so.....the ol'lady likes some of it so I make it occasionally for her.

I do a little baking, but not alot....I've got a bread maker and have used it several times with good success.....I love making cookies from scratch, and occasionally i'll bake a pie....but mostly I bake cookies.

Yes, I love the Food network....and thanks to them i'm always trying something new....I used to watch it all the time till we decided to stop paying for broadcast tv, so I can no longer watch the food channels, but I do keep up with them online and the Food networks got a great line up of chefs and recipes....lots of videos and helpful cooking ideas for those interested....there are several more cooking sites that I frequent but I won't bore you with the details.

So thats it....the cats outta the bag.....I'm a big'ol manly guy that loves ta cook, so's ya'll might as well join me and lets hear who else of you big burly boys like ta cook?

If there be enough of us, maybe we need to start our own recipe thread and do a bit of sharin?.....I just put a good'un on the "leftovers thread" if'n yer hungry.