Rediscovering the Joy of Cooking
True story…
I recently picked up some ready- made cookie dough since I was short on time. I let my son have one of the baked cookies. After taking one bite, he looked at me and asked, “Did Ms. J—teach you how to make these? These are really good!” Excuse me!
Now, perhaps I would have brushed off that question if it’d been the first time I heard it, but sadly it wasn’t. Now, I don’t want to lead you to believe that my husband complains about my cooking, he doesn’t. He has however, a time or two (or a dozen) remarked how wonderful J—‘s cooking is. Really?
I wouldn’t say this actually made me mad, but it did ruffle my feathers a bit. Truth be told, my friend is an amazing cook. I will happily eat anything she makes! Unfortunately, she has yet to volunteer to cook for my family except for the occasional evening together. A girl can dream!
Needless to say, as a stay-at-home mom, the majority of cooking falls on my shoulders. After hearing these comments made by the men in my life, I decided to try and cook a bit more. Of course, I already cook, but for the past few years, I’ve mainly been quickly throwing things like sandwiches together. So, I’ve begun to cook. In the process, I’ve learned a few basics. You’d crack up if you knew how I used to cut a sweet pepper. It made no sense, and yet, it’s what I did.
The only rule I’ve made for myself is that I refuse to be intimidated by anything. If the recipe sounds good, I’ll give it a try. Believe it or not, it’s how I found myself grilling for the first time. The pork chops were great and got wonderful reviews from my family!
I’m rediscovering how much I like to cook. I’m also reminded how good it feels to feed my family well.
Right now, thanks to my mom having it on hand, I’m using Anyone Can Cook: Step-by-Step Recipes Just for You. Basically, I’m giving myself a cooking refresher course. So far, so yummy.
How did you learn to cook? What are your best tips, books or web sites to improve your cooking skills? Do tell.