So, I’m back! In tomorrow’s Weblog Wednesday post, I’ll detail my many adventures since my blog break, but for this first Toast of Tuesday back, I wanted to do something a little special.

Normally Toast of Tuesday is devoted to something painstakingly and lovingly handcrafted, whether it’s a from-scratch recipe or a DIY craft. But ya know what, when life gets so crazy sometimes it feels like an accomplishment just to do something ultra basic.

Dear Husband (first time I’m getting to call him that on the blog!!) and I “officially” moved into our new home last week.

(Side note: We kind of unofficially squatted here for a while before that, but I’ll tell you all about that in tomorrow’s post…)

We still don’t have any gas in our home, which means no hot water and no stove range. Oh, and not to mention the fact that all of my precious cooking utensils are scattered about various boxes.

So it’s honestly been tough for me as a perfectionist wannabe-domestic-goddess to slum it with store-bought foods and takeaway  pizzas. I hate to admit that, but it’s true. I’ve felt ashamed of not cooking from scratch like usual.

But, I have to remind myself that there is beauty in simplicity, and that not everything in life has to be a labor of love.

In both an attempt at embracing simplicity and out of sheer necessity, I’ve been doing a lot of easy peasy slow cooker meals and unabashed prepackaged meals.

On Friday night, for example, I resigned myself to popping a couple of Walmart brand flatbreads in the oven, snagging a handful of pretzels, and slicing up a bell pepper to go along with some goat cheese, brie, and Sabra brand hummus. Toasted with wine, of course — Dark Horse chardonnay for me, Bota red blend for The Mister.

When we sat down to our simple but arguably delish dinner, I lamented about how guilty I felt for not truly cooking at all that first week in the house. Dear Husband just laughed and smiled and reminded me that he’s a simple guy, and he doesn’t care if I go all out cooking or just pop something vaguely healthy in the microwave.

Thing is, I care. But I’m trying not to care as much. I love cooking, and I especially love the whole process of laboring in the kitchen for hours and sitting down to something I can really take pride in. And that’s all well and good, but I have to remember that life in the kitchen doesn’t have to always be ripped from the pages of Martha Stewart.

I must end this post now, because ya know what? My kitchen is still a mess, we still have no gas, and dinner’s in the microwave! 😉