About
I'm not a good cook, but I can find anything, including ways to be a great cook!
I’m Margie Lundy, adventure seeking nomadic explorer. Wife, mom, author, RVsteader, unschooler, photographer (not a good one), finder of anything, and lover of chocolate and my Instant Pot. Read more about our fulltime RVing family here.
My story: My life is a constant struggle between my left brain and my right. I'm a research scientist by trade, but a cooker of all-natural (but kinda weird) food by choice.
Growing up with a mom and a grandma cooking, there were too many cooks in the kitchen. Plus, I think my dad wanted a son first, so I concentrated on sports. While that helped me snag my husband, the poor guy had to suffer through years of awful meals. I hated cooking, so dinners came from boxes. Those were dark days.
One day I realized there was a simple, scientific formula to this. With my researching skills, I could find anything, so why not find easy meals that tasted good? Thus began brighter days in the kitchen. That led to the realization that I actually enjoyed cooking! Once it was no longer a drawn-out, dreaded chore, it was fun. And easy. And yummy!
That led to more experimenting and better meals. I used my scientific mind to learn precisely how to cook, and my creative (okay, lazy) side to learn how to improvise. Soon I was making everything from scratch. We gained a new appreciation for family meals, and a few pounds.
Then one day my husband said, “Let’s hunt, fish, or raise all of our own meat.” Well, I hated touching dead meat (ew) but sure, why not? I told him as long as the meat looked like something from a store, I’d learn to cook it. We now haven’t bought meat since 2013.
The man and kids hunt for deer and squirrels, fish for bass and catfish, and we’ve raised chickens, rabbits, ducks, and a random turkey from the sky. Those four do all of the processing (what an eye-opening education for our kids!), and I cook it up in a pan. Natural, organic, healthy, and free food. We use the meat pretty interchangeably, so it’s common to hear, “What’s in the tacos tonight: deer, rabbit, chicken, or squirrel?” We also get confused with names like squirrel alfredo, or chicken noodle soup with rabbit, or beef-I-mean-deer stew.
I still look for shortcuts and the easiest procedures, which led to the Instant Pot. Some friends were raving, but as RVing minimalists, we definitely weren’t interested in more appliances. But they continued and I started paying attention when they said this would replace other appliances. Then I started researching (it’s what I do) and I realized I could no longer live without one. Two days later, I began to learn how to cookerize all the food. There’s a learning curve, but I love learning. And food.
Some people fear the pressure cooker, but scientists love explosions! Seriously, that is the main reason I clean with vinegar and baking soda, just for the chemical reaction. Sadly, the Instant Pot and other pressure cookers today are too high tech and safe to be very risky. The steam release is loud enough to be exciting though, and to scare the dog.
In my obsessive quest to pressure cookerize everything, I’ve come across great resources here and there and learned a lot (sometimes the hard way). Now I hope to help others get cookerized. I don’t want to inspire or motivate though. I really aim to empower fellow lazy cooks to remain lazy, but great cooks. Or convince reluctant cooks to give it a try the easy way. Or to encourage bad cooks that brighter days are ahead.
