Cooking (or not) with Madi

I have a lot in common with my main character, Madi McCall. I've mentioned some of our similarities in interviews I've done and in my bio. We share a love for chocolate, coffee, and computer games. We both suffer from a massive fear of spiders, and insecurity is a continual battle.

One other thing Madi and I have in common is our lack of cooking abilities. And really, our lack of desire to cook. I wouldn't go so far as to say we hate it, but when given a choice between cooking and take-out, or cooking and popping pizza rolls in the microwave, guess which one wins? Every time?

There are a few dishes my family enjoys, like my chicken casserole and mostaccioli. In fact, I mention that mostaccioli in Mind over Madi, and for fun, have pasted the scene below:

“So what’s up with you and Blake?” I’ve been dying to ask, but haven’t wanted to hound her about it.

Christina shrugs.

“She took him back,” Max says, shaking his head.

Christina swats him on the arm. “Do you want a black eye to match mine?”

I frown. So I don’t want to be cynical here, but I am thinking getting back together with Blake might not be such a good idea. Don’t get me wrong—I believe people can change. But I have my doubts about Blake. Then again, all members of the male species are on my disgust list at the moment. Particularly those who have been caught cheating. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, honey?”  

“Don’t worry about it, Mother.”  Christina is irritated. It’s obvious that she has no desire to discuss the status of her relationship with Blake. “So tell her about Sam.” She jabs an elbow into Max’s back, cleverly diverting the topic.

It is a rare occasion that I see my sixteen-year-old son blush. But here he is, turning an acute shade of pink. He turns away and opens the cupboard, pretending to be looking for something to eat.

“Don’t be shy, Max,” Christina goads. She looks at me. “He asked Sam out. And she said yes, can you believe it? The poor girl.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Who else is going on this date?” The group-dating-only rule is very important to me. Particularly in light of the sexual pressure conversation Christina and I had the other day.

Christina answers for him. “Amy and Kyle and maybe me and Blake.”

Normally, I would correct Christina’s bad grammar but I am still stuck on the first part of her sentence. “Kyle?”

            “Amy’s boyfriend.”

My hopes for acquiring Amy as a daughter-in-law are fading fast. I feel another sense of betrayal. Why can’t they see what I see? That Max and Amy are perfect for each other. 

Shaking away my disappointment, I try to act happy about the fact that my son is dating a punk rocker or goth girl—or whatever kids call it these days—from Tennessee. “Sam seems like a nice girl, Max.”

“You know, just because she has a lip ring, pink hair and wears dark lipstick doesn’t mean she’s a bad person.” Max says from behind the cupboard door.

“Honey, you don’t have to defend her. I already said she seems nice. Of course, I only met her once. I’d like the chance to get to know her a little better. Maybe you can invite her over for dinner sometime next week.” It really wouldn’t hurt to get to know the girl who thinks my son is hot.

Max’s face reappears, looking worried. “You wouldn’t cook, would you? We could get pizza or something.”

My kids have little confidence in my cooking abilities.

“I could make mostaccioli. You guys like my mostaccioli.”

“That’s okay. Pizza is fine.”

Ouch.

As an added note, you can find the recipe to Madi's Mean Mostaccioli in NOVEL MORSELS, an e-recipe book put together by author Nicole O'Dell. This book features more than 65 Christian authors who share 120 recipes from their fiction novels. Included are scenes from the books, stories behind the recipes, and lots of ideas for menu planning. It's in Kindle format only and is a steal at only .99! Check it out on Amazon: NOVEL MORSELS

Do you cook? Do you love it? Share a favorite recipe in the comments.