Cooking 101

Cooking is my passion, which is why I surround this entire blog around it. In my sometimes non-existent spare time, I like to make myself useful in the kitchen because it makes me feel . . .  well, useful. It's something my husband really appreciates, and it's something that makes me feel good on a daily basis.

Chopping up fresh mushrooms, pulling basil and lemony thyme out of my garden, and making homemade sauces out of basic ingredients somehow makes me feel like I'm doing something right. It also gives me control.

When other things in my life are chaotic, I can come home and enjoy every single dice of every single vegetable. I can toss them around in a skillet, mash some potatoes, and bake all kinds of fish, knowing my husband will smile when I put it on the table.

I don't even like to plan it out. I've tried, but I never stick to the plan if I try to think it through even 2 days in advance. It's that desire in me to be productive in an area I can have absolute control of. In that moment, I can make whatever I want.

So I wonder... why don't people like to cook? Do they think they don't know how? That's not true. No one is born to know how to cook and anyone can follow a recipe. Do they not desire to cook? Cooking is so underrated. Who doesn't feel great about themselves when the pull out a homemade pie, or even casserole, out of the oven? Does their audience not appreciate their homemade meals? We all need to feel our effort was not in vain. Are they too busy? This is the best excuse to knock out. We are all busy; well I mean, most of us anyway. But cooking can be such a wonderful stress relief.

Try it out! Grab a Paula Dean cookbook (some of my favorites are in her books) and try out a few easier recipes. If you're not sure what to cook, just ask yourself what you would order in a restaurant, and look up a recipe for it. Let me know how it turns out! :)