How I did it: I never grew up with a mother who cooked alot or well. She made a mean casserole but that is about it. So, I never really learned how to cook. After my mom passed away, my sister (who refuses to cook) and my stepdad and I all lived together. We really ate unhealthy and ate the same boring things all the time. I finally got sick of not eating home cooked meals so I put my foot down. I started looking through cookbooks that my mom had and going on allrecipes.com (HIGHLY RECOMMEND this site). I picked easier dishes first (zitis, meatloafs, etc.) and then really started to try more complex dishes that involved all sorts of spices and techniques. I cook about 3 or 4 times a week and I'm always trying a new dish just to build my recipe box. My boyfriend, stepdad, and sister are all quite pleased that I love cooking now. I had some hilarious cooking mishaps but enjoyed the process. I'm no Julia Child but I think I'm becoming a more domesticated woman.

Lessons & tips: * Make sure the recipes you use in the beginning are not vague and are easy to follow.
* Get all your ingredients out so you aren't scrambling.
* Find a good cookbook with measurements and equivalents, substitutes, etc.
* When you first start cooking, give yourself lots of time so you aren't rushing. Also, read through the directions and make a list of all the things you need to do and in what order. Sometimes the order they have things in aren't the most efficient. For example, chop things like vegetables or garlic up before you start things. There were some times that I would just go straight through and realize I had ten minutes of chopping to do while things were on the stove and I needed to be doing something else.
* Have some forgiving people to cook for! You aren't always going to cook "WOW" meals but just remember that you can always throw it away and order some takeout if it is really horrible. I've never had that experience yet BUT I have made some just "ok" meals and felt disappointed.

Resources: allrecipes.com (BEST site ever! They have great variety and great reviews. Read through reviews on a dish because people will make suggestions on how they cooked it and changed it and problems they had. I made some of my best meals from this site. Also, I love that you can change the serving size and it will change the amounts you need for the ingredients)

Apr 10, 2010, 06:43PM PDT | 0 comments | 3 cheers