Just Cook!

I was a late bloomer when it came to cooking. I could put a meal together but it lacked creativity and I didn't know any techniques or flavor profiles. My abilities included boiling pasta and nuking pre-made pasta sauce and green beans. Voila, dinner. After my daughter was born, I decided that cooking was something I wanted to conquer.

Whole Foods Demonstration Kitchen

At that time, I didn't realize that I was on a different journey, one that made me creative, adaptable and rewarded me with self-confidence. Thank you Food Network for providing wonderful programs that broke down the steps to make a meal. You were my personal trainer and there was no one to judge me in my own kitchen while I experimented. I eventually weened myself from making Mario's,  Rachel's, an Emeril's meals and ventured out on my own.

My big take away from the Food Network was to build a pantry and I did. The other take way was to go to the grocery store and find ingredients that provoked my interest. I would come home and google recipes. I would then combine 2-3 recipes based on the other ingredients I had in my pantry and my family's tastes. More often then not, they were a hit.

I  took on making gravy, pan searing, sauteing, braising and even making bread from scratch.  I planned elaborate Thanksgiving meals. Timing was one of the hardest obstacles for me. The Thanksgiving meals beat me up the first couple of years. I learned I needed 2-3 days of advance planning and preparation to make it all come together. The prep work has now become one of my favorite parts of cooking. I find it strangely relaxing with added benefit of getting to smell garlic on my hands for a few hours.

Masala Meal and Spices

In this journey, I have gained the courage and confidence to go outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself in new ways. I've joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). I get fresh produce each week that I have to figure out how to prepare. I don't know what it will be so my challenge is to make a meals that utilizes the fresh produce and make it sing the same song.

Cooking classes have been my other challenge. Fall Vegetarian was my first hands-on cooking class. Surprisingly I was one of the more seasoned cooks. I was familiar with all the techniques we were using. I knew NOT to put all of your hot soup in the blender with the lid on and blend it…(That's another hot messy blog)  When it came to making the béchamel for our ravioli, I had no fear. It was great experience and I highly recommend taking a hands-on or a demonstration cooking class. The pictures posted are from the 1st class I took. It was an Indian Garam Masala class with instructor, Chaya Rao.

Chaya Rao-Instructor

In my journey to conquer cooking, I've learned that cooking is not a battle. Yes, some dishes are winners, some dishes are losers. Ultimately, learning to cook is an investment of your time to discover the cook you were meant to be. The best part of cooking is that it builds on experience, the more you cook, the better you get at it.

Sorse Baingan - Eggplant w/ mustand sauce