What now?

I know you have been wondering…does she still drink wine, I haven’t seen a “Wine of the Week” post in ages..  (yes, rest assured I am still enjoying crushed grapes!!)

My last post was in February.  February?!  What happened?  A senior in high school and baseball season.  Then it was graduation, vacations, shopping for college, packing for college, leaving for college…you get the idea.  Sometime during those months my website was hacked, malware galore.  I fixed that, then lost the contacts of my faithful readers.  Found them again (I think), then had to learn about secure websites and http vs. https.  That took a few weeks.  So here I am, crossing my fingers that when I hit the “publish” button, I am once again popping up (securely!) in your inbox.

I’ve still been in the kitchen!  I made these great Garlic-Chipotle Chicken Tacos.

And this wonderful Chicken Mozzarella Pasta.

I’m trying to cook for two now.  You see I am an empty nester.  I keep saying that.  It is weird.  Not bad weird, just weird.

So I have been keeping busy.  Going out to dinner with friends.

Going to the movies.

Talking with the dog.

However the question keeps coming up, “What now?”  On the urging of a friend I went to a Women’s Networking function the other evening (plug for #TCUWomenLeadon).  We were to introduce ourselves and what we do.  I wasn’t sure how to answer that.  Then we had to write an elevator pitch on ourselves…talk about putting yourself outside the comfort zone!  After years of associating myself with a really terrific job and then later as a mom volunteering for countless school and athletic events, what would I say??

“I have been a mom for the past 22 years, who is suddenly an empty nester and a bit lost.  I love technology and finding solutions.  I love to cook and share my creations.  I enjoy problem solving for others.  I try to help others be positive (although I am not always good at that).  I love things that make me and others smile.”

What now?  I’m not sure yet but I am going to still play in the kitchen and share with you my treats if you will let me.

I’m lucky to still have a strong supporter of Cooking with Tami at home and he will continue to help me keep the recipes I share with you at a high and delicious standard!