I was intrigued by this Forbes article about the costs of cooking at home vs. ordering out or using a menu planning service. It turns out that dialing Dominoes is roughly 5 times as expensive as making homemade pizza and 3 times as expensive as using a meal planning service. The article points out that this is simply the cost of materials and doesn’t allow for “opportunity costs.” It’s interesting that they approach this from the perspective of lost time to prepare the meal. I look at it as an opportunity for found time with your kids and spouse. Cooking with the kids is one of the great pleasures of parenting in my book.

Wasn’t planning anything special for Valentine’s Day. But after seeing this recipe, gotta say baby and me is havin’ lobster tails and ribeye on Wednesday. I won’t be using the sous-vide method, but will use tarragon and vanilla. Don’t tell her.

My mother, Doris Mae Staton Sweeney, passed way early in the morning on Saturday, May 21st, 2016. She died in her sleep after having a nice dinner with her husband and friends at a local restaurant. She had been working in the garden on Friday pulling weeds. Her Easter lilies had started to bloom and she was very proud of them. There was nothing wrong with her other than the common ailments of anyone 72 years old. She wasn’t feeling ill. I had spoken with her on the phone that night. She asked me about my dissertation proposal, and finished the conversation with a simple “I love you.” That night, she simply passed away, peacefully, in her sleep. (more…)