Recently we have had some family come to stay with us. It has been an adjustment for us all around. We are learning each other’s habits, routines and oddities. It has been great!!!

Never did I think that I would learn so much from this experience, however she brings a different outlook on quality of life, cooking and all around attitude.

So let me tell you before they came to stay with us I would cook leftovers and they would get eaten for the most part. There were a few meals that I would repurpose such as turkey into turkey pot pie or turkey & dumplings. Well let me tell you this young lady absolutely takes it to a new level AND she calls it kitchen sink cooking. What in the world? I had never heard that before.

She makes it look simple. We had pulled pork (she calls it brisket) for dinner one night. So we had pulled pork with hush puppies for a few meals, and then we had cuban sandwiches. I was ready to freeze the meat for a later time as I didn’t want it to go to waste and people were getting tired of it. Well let me tell you this lady was able to make meals the kids LOVED and were simple and fast. Ramen noodles w/brisket – doesn’t sound great right but oh my goodness you wouldn’t believe the amount of flavor she was able to pack into that. Brisket quesadillas with cheese. Then she made this absolutely got to die for dish … it was rice, beans, brisket, avocado, corn, salsa, cilantro lime sour cream with nachos. It doesn’t sound like much but the flavor was out of this world!!!!

White chicken chili was a new dish she introduced us to. The flavor was poppin. You could eat it as a soup or with tortilla chips. I have tried to make chicken chili before and it was bland and boring. This was far from it. She has a knack for seasoning that I am sad to say it absolutely a shortcoming of mine (amongst others).

Have you ever had a house guest that helped you turn your way of thinking around? I have always had a hard time of revisioning meals … making something outside my comfort zone is scary … I hate the thought of making something and my family not liking it so it goes to waste. Money doesn’t grow on trees and wasting food is wasting money. She is able to look in my cupboard and make an amazing meal out of what I think is nothing. She has had learning experiences in her life that I have not had and now she is able to share them with me.

So am I more adventurous you ask? I am absolutely positively certainly TRYING to be, but it’s hard to change a leopard’s spots. She is still working with me on how to kitchen sink cook. So tell me what meals do you kitchen sink cook or repurpose?