I have always loved to make food. Cooking, baking, anything of that nature. Always loved it! When I was a teenager, I loved to cook and my sister loved to clean. And that's how the division of duties in our household fell... But ze problemo with this was, I figured, since I'm making the food, I better like it!! Not everyone in the family agreed with my slightly-selfish philosophy. (Give me a break; I was a teenager!). My brother and sister protested loudly, vehemently and very often!

And thus the family joke... "We want a cook for the people, not a cook for the cook!!!" :) HAHA
I don't remember my mom protesting much though... She liked it when I cooked. She still likes it when I cook. :)

My revelation of this past weekend is that I must have gotten over my cook-for-the-cook tendencies. My sister is expecting a baby veeery soon, so I planned/hosted a baby shower tea for her... While working hard with food preparations on Saturday, I was chatting with my mom about the menu... and my comments brought a revelation:

Egg Salad Sandwiches... "I'm not really a fan of egg salad"

Mushroom Phyllo Cups... "I don't really like mushrooms much either" (actually I kinda liked these--garlicky!)

And then there was the Roast Beef Sandwiches ... (so-so)

After awhile, I realized I had grown as a cook (slight overexaggeration here). I liked variety. I liked having something for everyone, more than I liked something for me!! YAY! Personal growth!

Some other good tea-time food...