Anyone Can Cook

I have now seen the Ratatouille movie a few gazillion times, so I know that anyone CAN cook. I just don't know WHY anyone WANTS to?! Honestly, it is such a pain in the neck ..... deciding what to make and grocery shopping and chopping and dicing and measuring and wisking and simmering and sautéing and baking etc., etc. The fruits of your labors disappear in less than half an hour. Then you get to clean up the mess. Ugh!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE eating. But I love it best when I don't have to do the cooking part before I get to do the eating part. That's why I believe that there are few things better than eating OUT. But with 4 kiddos in tow, that doesn't happen around here all that often.

A few months ago, Josh said to me, "Ego (in the Ratatoille movie) doesn't think anyone can cook. But he's WRONG! You can cook! I let you cook all the time." And therein lies my problem. I cook ALL THE TIME. Every day, there are kids waiting to be fed. And every day I have to figure out what to feed them. So, I try to navigate the quickest, easiest, least messy route to feed this hungry horde on a daily basis. I am truly a lazy cook. I go for recipes with few ingredients and that say something similar to "combine all ingredients". If I see a long list of ingredients or instructions on a recipe, it will get nixed for sure.

In light of the above, I am sharing two of my favorite recipes. They are super easy and ALL of my kids are willing to eat them. If I get really ambitious, I might even add more recipes in later posts. Anyone reading this is welcome to send me any yummy, EASY dinner recipes you have. I'm always happy to try something new.

Gusteau (in Ratatouille) said "What I say is true, anyone can cook. But only the fearless can be great." Well, I'm happy to leave greatness to someone else. In the mean time, I'll keep plodding along, one meal at a time.

Ranch Chicken


1 1/2 c. crushed cornflakes
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 package ranch salad dressing mix
5-6 chicken breasts
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

Combine cornflakes, Parmesan cheese and dry ranch dressing mix. Dip chicken breasts in melted butter then roll in cornflake mixture until heavily coated. Place in 9x13 baking dish. (I usually pour remaining cornflake mixture over chicken breasts.) Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This is also really good diced up on a salad.

Tortilla Soup


1 c. long grain rice
2 tbsp chicken bouillon granules
2 tsp lemonade powder (with sugar)
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. dried, chopped onion
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies - I use mild)
10 cups water
Diced chicken (optional - add last 5 minutes)

Combine all ingredients. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream and diced avocado. (I often use canned chicken breast or leftover rotisserie chicken.)